


Are We Friends?

by Pandoras_loss



Series: The Eve Gilbert Series [1]
Category: The Vampire Diaries (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-04
Updated: 2018-06-10
Packaged: 2019-05-18 05:16:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 47
Words: 133,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14846525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pandoras_loss/pseuds/Pandoras_loss
Summary: Eve Gilbert is a ghost, not in the literal sense, but outside of her parents, nobody knows she exists.  Trained from a young age as a vampire hunter and then sent on an impossible mission by her parents, will she be able to live up to their expectations and save her sister, Elena, from what fate has in store for her, or will all be lost?  And was going to Damon Salvatore for help, the best decision she ever made or the biggest mistake of her life?Takes place during the last half of season 1 and all of season 2.





	1. Striking Out on My Own

**Author's Note:**

> Obviously, I do not own the rights or credit for creating The Vampire Diaries or the characters from the book/show, including: Elena Gilbert, Damon Salvatore, Stefan Salvatore, Bonnie Bennet, Caroline Forbes, Tyler Lockwood, Isobel Flemming, Katherine Pierce, and John Gilbert, to name a few.
> 
> Original characters created by me: Eve Gilbert

I looked around my room. All that was left was for me to load what I had into my car. I wasn't particularly attached to the room or the house itself. I'd moved around so much that no place held any real sentimental value for me. My car, on the other hand, meant more, and that would be going with me. As a sky blue 69 Charger, it wasn't exactly nondescript the way I was supposed to be, but my Dad and I rebuilt together, so it held a special place in my heart. 

It wasn't much to look at when I got it. In fact, my Mom didn't even have to compel the guy into letting us have it. She could have, and she would have if he hadn't been amenable, because even though she thought it was a piece of junk, I wanted it, and she'd make sure I got it. We'd been searching for a car for me since I turned 16, and despite me, through her abilities, being able to walk away with absolutely any car I wanted, I hadn't been able to connect with anything we saw, whether it was a Porche, Jaguar, BMW, or Mercedes, but when I saw the forgotten Charger on cinder blocks out in some guy's car, I just knew I had to have it.

When I showed her my find, she wasn't exactly impressed, but I was smart enough to bring my Dad too, and when I mentioned the two of us fixing it up together, his eyes lit up before he helped me talk her around. He even gave her the challenge of not using compulsion to get it for me, and with that, my Mom squared her shoulders, turned like the force of nature she was, and walked up to the man's door. I remember Dad elbowing me with a grin and telling me to 'watch this,' like I was about to see something special, and I did. She was amazing. Somehow she even got the guy to pay for a truck to bring the car around my Dad's house later that night.

Just thinking about that day brought conflicting emotions to the surface. Normally, I tried to keep them buried, but I was so going to miss my parents. I did miss them, and I hadn't left yet. The reason the day I got my car always stood out to me as a reminder of them was because my Dad hadn't looked at my Mom the way he did that day since she'd made the choice to turn. I guess when you're a vampire hunter and the mother of your child decides to become a vampire, it wasn't exactly the easiest thing in the world to accept. I saw less of him after that, but he was still a huge presence in my life. He just didn't stay over any more, preferring to have me stay with him or coming over to my house to train early in the morning or right after my Mom finished my lessons for the day. I was home schooled, so I guess you could say that my parents were my whole world, I knew I was loved . . . by both of them. 

My Mom was different, sure, but for the most part she was still the same Mom who raised me. She was strong, fearless, and oh so incredibly intelligent, but what really dwarfed those qualities was how much she loved me. That didn't change after she turned. In fact, it's why she turned. It was the only way she knew to protect me from what was coming, and while it was certainly an adjustment for me seeing her become a creature of the night and then day when she got her daylight necklace, I was never afraid of her. Irritated with how possessive she got of me sometimes when it came to my Dad or overprotective when it came to other people talking to me or looking at me, and maybe disappointed sometimes when she just couldn't seem to help herself if someone insulted either of us, but I never felt afraid of her or ashamed. Even when I walked home one night and saw the remains of a man on the floor, blood coating the kitchen surface, and dripping down her chin, like I'd caught her . . . well, I guess I did catch her red handed . . . I wasn't angry, afraid, or embarrassed by her antics. I knew she had to feed. If anything I felt guilty, because I knew she was only doing this for me, so I helped her clean up the mess and listened while she explained why she'd chosen this man. 

Let's just say he wasn't a good person, and the world wouldn't miss him, especially not the schools he wasn't allowed near, and see, that's the thing. Maybe it was as a result of her rationalizations, or maybe I just had a different sense of what constituted justice, but the way my Mom picked and chose her victims, I really didn't see the killing as a problem when she got a little over-zealous and lost herself to the blood lust. To me, vampires had the ability to be the exterminators of the vermin that infiltrated the human race. Thanks to my Dad, I knew it wasn't that simple, that vampires could and most often did kill completely innocent people that never did a bad thing in their life, but from what I'd seen, that wasn't my Mom. That wouldn't be me if I chose to turn. I guess that's what this whole trip was about . . . deciding what I would do when the time came. I knew what my Mom wanted. I knew what my Dad wanted. Now it was up to me to decide.

"You ready?"

No not really. I slumped, and I knew my Mom could hear my heart rate pick up at the thought of leaving. I'd really been quite sheltered, and now I was being thrown in the deep end. It doesn't matter if you grew up believing in the supernatural and experienced it on a day to day basis with occult lessons from Mom long before she turned and vampire hunter training from Dad since you were 5, it was everything else, like everyday life that I was going to have to do on my own now. I wasn't ready. With a smile, I turned and looked at my Mom. "Yeah. I just need to put these in the car, and then I can hit the road."

Her brow furrowed, and I knew she didn't believe me, but neither one of us would say it. Instead, she ran through her list of motherly concerns one more time. "You remember the address of your apartment?" 

Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I lifted it for her to see. "Check, and the route there is programmed into this as well."

"And you're just going to observe."

I nodded. "Until the time is right."

"And that will be?"

"I'll know it when I see it, but you can't tell me now, because you can't see into the future and predict what exactly it will be."

"And the vervain - "

"Is in my locket, my anklet, and will be in my water every day just in case, so I have it in me and on me at all times."

She smiled before stepping forward to gather up my hair and push it behind my shoulders. "And who is the smartest, sweetest, most beautiful girl in the world?"

I rolled my eyes and ducked my head. "Mom, stop it." 

Her finger went under my chin, so she could gently lift my face to hers. "Eve?"

Her eyebrow arched, and I sighed. "I am." 

Her smile returned to her face. "And don't you forget it."

"How can I? It's the only way I'll be able to convince anyone I'm her."

There went her smile. "Honey, we talked about this." 

Yeah, we had talked about it for years and years and years . . . pretty much for as long as I could remember. I didn't want my Mom to feel bad, so I gave her a soft smile and said, "I know. It's just nerves. All the talking in the world didn't really prepare me for this moment. I just - " Leaning forward, I embraced her and whispered, "I don't want to leave you." 

Returning the hug, she rubbed my back comfortingly and whispered, "I don't want you to go, but we all have to make sacrifices for this to work, and know that I love you. No matter what happens, never question that." I felt tears well in my eyes but blinked them back before nodding. Stepping back, I took a deep breath to calm my nerves and gave her another nod to let her know I was ready. She focused on fixing my hair again while she smiled sadly and said, "I can't believe how fast you've grow up . . . I'm so proud of you." Looking me in the eye, she added, "You've got this," before she went to my bed to grab my heaviest suitcases, so she could load them into the car, and like a flash she was gone. I knew she wouldn't be waiting for me when I got outside. Saying goodbye right now in my room, she could do. Watching me drive away, would be too much. She'd probably kill the post man or the nosey Mrs. Blevens next door if she was here when I really left.


	2. Change of Plans

I was lounging on the window seat in my apartment 'observing' the way I was supposed to observe. It was kind of interesting, and at the same time, I thought it was interesting because if I didn't, I'd find it boring. I never had to leave this apartment. Any groceries I needed were delivered to the door. Any bills that needed to be paid were already handled. Whether those things were done with actual money or through my Mom's compulsion really just depended on who won out, my Mom or Dad. Probably both. 

I could see them agreeing to have Dad pay for the apartment if Mom compelled the cable company to give me free cable or some variation of that. I saw someone walk up to the front door of the house I was watching and adjusted my binoculars. I guess if I ever did go the vampire route, these binoculars wouldn't be needed . . . nor would the listening devices I sometimes I had to use, but I really liked the parabolic listening device. I think I'd rather be a spy or private detective than a vampire . . . not that I really had a choice. Death or vampire . . . Ooh maybe I could be a vampire detective. Nah, that'd be too Angel-esque, but something along those lines. 

The girl on the porch appeared to be the girl that the brother was seeing. I rolled my eyes and marked it down in my journal. I had symbols that were meant to make encoding my notes more difficult. The equivalent of what my code meant would be, 'Anna arrives at 21:00.' 

Lifting my forearm from my bent knee, I returned the binoculars to my eyes and minutes later dropped it again with a sigh. 'Anna kidnaps Elena through the window 21:05.' My God that girl got into more trouble than she was probably worth. Trouble that I would inevitably be courting. I wondered again if it was worth it. I guess it was. I sighed and shook my head when I saw the younger Salvator throw open the front door a few minutes later. Guess he was onto Elena being gone. I wondered how long it'd take to get her back. Probably not that long.

Just the other day she had a vampire walk into her house as a pizza delivery guy and then come back the next day. Both Salvatore brothers were brought in on that one. I guess it was handled. The vampire didn't come back, and nobody seemed all that concerned about it now. That reminded me. I flipped through the journal to the pictures at the back and put an X through Noah. My Mom and Dad had sent me into this with as much information as possible. That was something they both agreed was important, so I knew all the players and knew what they looked like. I had a little dossier on all of them. Anna was after her Mom in the tomb. Noah was helping her. Ben was too, but he was a young enough vampire and according to my Dad's handwriting, 'an idiot'. Despite her teammates being weak-minded, Anna was pretty determined. I could empathize with her. If my Mom was locked in a tomb and forced to starve for over 100 years, I'd do anything to get her back. I suspected she wouldn't have much longer to wait and wondered if I should be there when it was opened. 

I should probably err on the side of caution and just wait around in here. If 27 vampires got released in this town, it wouldn't take long to know about it. This was the problem with not knowing what kind of signal my Mom was going to send. I needed to stay hidden, but at the same time, I needed to be wherever the signal was given to know that it had been given. My Mom wouldn't give it before the tomb was opened, but then after the tomb was given, this town wouldn't be safe. That'd be the best time to stay hidden up here in my little watchtower. I fiddled with the locket around my neck. I guess I did have vervain on me and in me. Glancing at my duffle bag on the foot of my bed, I thought about it's contents, the stakes, the pistol crossbow, the vervain darts, and everything else I had in there . . . not to mention my training. I knew I could handle myself. I'd been trained for this for so long. It's just hard to wrap my head around the fact that I'm here now and expected to make this work. 

Glancing back at the unsuspecting Gilbert house, I wondered how everyone in it could be so completely clueless. I also wondered what my 'in' would be with this group. It was so wrapped up in itself that it was totally blind to anything that wasn't in it's immediate circle. You had Elena and Stefan at the center. Then you had Damon in the next ring out. Then Bonnie was a little further out from that, and then that was it. None of the other friends knew, because they were all wrapped up in their own little lives too, and that included the people living in the Gilbert house or anywhere else in this town. Some knew more than others, like the Founder's Council knew about vampires, but really they were just a bunch of clueless dullards that pretended at vampire hunting and had no idea they had a vampire on the actual Council spying on them and manipulating their every move.

Everyone in this town annoyed me. Hopefully, I had enough time before my Mom's signal to settle on some plan of action and make myself like the people I was supposed to like, so I could interact with them. It all really depended on the girl that'd just been kidnapped. I suppose it's for that reason that I was both annoyed that she'd been kidnapped because the threats against her were getting increasingly ridiculous and relieved that it bought me some more time.

Unfortunately, Elena wasn't gone for more than a day, but it's not like she was ever really home even when she was a free woman. She was back out that night and the next and the next. It would almost be funny if it weren't so sad. How she got away with being out all the time without anyone questioning her was really just sad. My Mom always wanted to know where I was and what I was doing if I wasn't by her side, or she did until she sent me to Mystic Falls, and even now, I was really just supposed to be staying in my apartment for as long as possible, so she knew where I was. 

When the Gilbert family left wearing all black a few days later, I thought it was a little strange, not so much the wearing black, but the fact that they were all doing something together. Pulling out my parabolic long-range listening device, when they got home, I found out they'd been to Bonnie's grandmother's funeral. Strange. She wasn't that old. I guess anyone can die at any time, but still. I felt like there was more. She was a witch, and she had enough power to do something like get into the tomb. I wondered if that was why the flutter of vampire activity at the Gilbert house had dwindled. Sure, Stefan still came around from time to time, but Damon didn't, and all the drama seemed to disappear. It'd been a pretty boring couple of days. It was boring in general. I really hated this mission.

I hated trying to piece together whatever it was that was happening in their lives from a distance. It was like a puzzle I didn't want to solve, but here I was. I didn't want to let my parents down. It was the single worst thing I could think of doing. Worse than killing. Worse than torturing . . . Lord knows I've done both to vampires under my Dad's tutelage, and why did I do those things? Because I didn't want to let him down. I just flipped a switch and did what he wanted. 

I guess it wasn't all that different from the switches vampires had. They were always bragging about it, like it was something special, but humans could do it too. It just wasn't as hard for humans to flip it back, or at least it wasn't at first. I guess over time, something becomes faulty with a human's switch, like I'm pretty sure my Dad's switch is well and truly broken. My switch? Well, my switch worked just fine. I always felt bad after I did something I felt was bad and usually cried when I got back to my Mom's, but I'm guessing that one day my switch would be just as broken as my Dad's. Such was life, or the life of a vampire hunter anyway. 

It was a few days after the funeral that my sign finally came. There was a knock at the door, and it wasn't grocery day, so it was an unexpected knock. I was hoping that it would be one of my parents, but it wasn't. It was just a random stranger. He looked to be in his late 40s, early 50s, and he said, "Are you ready?" but there was nothing really there behind his eyes. 

I'd seen that look a hundred times. He'd been compelled. Really, it was a little like talking to my Mom through another person. "Is she coming?"

"Not yet."

I slumped. "What am I supposed to do?"

"You already know." 

I sighed. It wasn't good to plan too much, because if you got wrapped up in a plan instead of acting in the moment, you're overall objective probably wouldn't be obtained, and you were more likely to die. "Just roll with it." 

Those seemed like the magic words, because he turned and started walking away. Maybe I should just follow him. I grabbed my black fitted peacoat from the coat rack and slung it on before checking the pockets to make sure I had my keys and phone. Good to go. Closing my door behind me, I rushed down the hall to catch up with the man, but stayed far enough back that I didn't look like I was with him. Outside the door, he went right, so I went right, and we wound around the streets and sidewalks of the town until we found ourselves just outside a bar called the Mystic Grill. I hadn't seen it before now. Wasn't really supposed to explore, just observe . . . it was a little like jumping into the middle of double dutch rope. You watch. You wait. You get the rhythm down and then jump when the opportunity strikes without messing up everyone else's rhythm. That's what I was doing. 

The compelled man leaned back against the wall of the building, so I did the same, but I did it in the shadows. I wasn't ready to be seen. I glanced at him over my shoulder and wondered if he was just a random stranger or if he'd done something wrong. "How did you meet my Mom?"

"I'm not supposed to talk to you."

I rolled my eyes. Sometimes, I liked the idea of becoming a vampire, so I could compel. In this instance, it wouldn't do much good, because I wouldn't be able to break my Mom's compulsion, and 'I'm not supposed to talk to you,' is a pretty hard one to get around, but I'd figure something out. Maybe I would now. "How about hand signals? It's not technically talking."

"I'm not supposed to communicate with you outside what was agreed." 

Well, my Mom was pretty sneaky. I guess that covered just about everything from body language to writing. She knew me too well. Still. Maybe I could short-circuit him somehow. "You're talking to me now." Silence, so no short-circuiting this time it would seem. Maybe that was for the best. Maybe if he short-circuited it'd cause his eyes to bleed, and then his head would explode. 

I imagined what that would look like, and I didn't really want that happening, especially with him standing so close to me. I'd just wind up with blood and brain matter speckled on my coat. I looked down at my coat and imagined what the mess would look like, scrunched my nose in disgust, and then leaned my head back against the wall to settle in for my long wait. It wasn't worth it just to get someone to talk to me because I'd been a little lonely.

I don't know how long we were there or what exactly was going on inside, but eventually, the doors opened, and out walked a few people. Not the people I wanted to see, so we waited some more. Finally, towards the end of the night, I saw her. It was the closest I'd been to her the whole time I'd been here. It was a little surreal, like there was no protective barrier made up of binoculars, windowpanes, and hundreds of feet. There she was just on the other side of the street. I almost missed the man leave his spot next to me, so he could cross the road. I stepped back further into the shadows, and hid around the corner, confident his distraction would prevent Stefan from seeing me in the alleyway, and just as predicted, the man and Elena's reaction to the man drew all of Stefan's attention. 

I don't know what was said, but as soon as it was, the man looked right, waited, and then stepped into the path of a big truck. I saw it coming, but it all happened too fast for me to register what was going to happen until it was all over. I wasn't that close and had the buffer of an entire street between us, but even I was shocked by the turn of events and felt my heart rate skyrocket even though I was able to prevent myself from gasping out in fear. I guess that answered whether or not the man was bad or not. My Mom wouldn't have done that if he weren't. My Mom was also seriously delusional if she thought this would be the best way for me to saunter up from across the street and meet Elena. That was a downside to her being a vampire. She didn't always think of the human condition, and Elena was in no state to be meeting me tonight. Or maybe that was just an excuse. 

Now that I saw Elena up close, I didn't know if I even wanted to meet her. Maybe I wouldn't. What was the best plan of action here? I could do my job without her knowing about me . . . It's what I was always supposed to do until Katherine stuck her nose into the situation and convinced my parents otherwise. My way would actually be the smarter option. It'd keep Elena safer when the time came. I could do this. I just had to think. My mind raced with possibilities, each one discarded almost as soon as I thought of it. You could almost say I was panicked, but that would be ridiculous, because I never panic.


	3. Allow Me to Introduce Myself

I watched as Stefan lead Elena away from the crowd and figured that meant I had some time that I could play with tonight. Surely, he wouldn't leave her side after the traumatic events that'd unfolded. I hoped he didn't, because I'd finally settled on a plan. Turning around and heading down the alley, I pulled out my phone, did a quick Google search for an address and then mapped it out. 

Walk or drive? I'd love to drive. I hadn't in a while, and it'd get me there so much faster. Since I didn't know how much time I had exactly, that was important, but then so was being able to make an easy get away, and a car would be noticed by Stefan if he were to show up before I left. How long would it take me to get there? 25 minutes if I walked . . . 15 if I ran . . . 5 if I drove. Was what I needed to say going to take that long? I didn't know, but I did know thinking about it was wasting time. Run it is.

I followed the directions on my phone and ran to the end of the drive, but I didn't think it'd be such a good idea to show up winded, so I walked up the lane way and waited at the door until I was sure I had my heart rate and breathing under control. I could knock . . . but what would Elena do? Was she here all the time? Would she just walk in? If she didn't, then it might seem odd if I just walked in uninvited, but not as odd as if she didn't knock, and I did. Why'd it matter if I did what Elena did? Because I needed to get my foot in the door without getting my head torn off. Taking a final deep breath, I pushed open the door and stuck my head inside. It was quiet. I fought every urge in my body telling me to call out, "Hello?" I doubted Elena did that. Stepping inside, I paid little attention to the decor. I was more concerned with staying alert, not whether or not this place was stocked up on antiques. 

Closing the door behind me, I took a step further into the house and another, waiting for any sound that would tell me that I wasn't alone. I saw him leave the Mystic Grill earlier. It was before the guy got hit by a truck, so he should be here. Maybe he was out hunting . . . or not. I heard the clink of a glass in a room up ahead and walked my way to the archway. There he was with his back to me. My dark horse, my inside man, my partner in crime . . . so long as our first meeting didn't end with me dead. "Damon?"

He glanced back at me over his shoulder and turned back around, muttering, "Elena," as he brought his drink to his mouth. I didn't correct him. 

"I, uh . . . I wanted to talk." 

He rolled his eyes and looked at me over his shoulder again. "Look, if this is about your Mom - "

"What about my Mom?" I stood up straighter at his mention of her. I guess I wasn't expecting that. 

Turning away from me again, he shook his head. "You know the whole, 'you killed my Mom,' blah, blah, blah . . . not a good time."

How much could I say with him not knowing who I was? "My Mom's not dead."

Finally, he turned to look at me and arched an eyebrow in contempt. "Sure she is. We all know what a sadistic dick I am . . . I killed her. I - "

"You turned her. That's not the same thing."

Now he was intrigued. "How - "

I pointed my thumb behind me and said, "She compelled someone to give me a message, and then he self-destructed about half an hour ago . . . That wouldn't have happened if she were dead. Compulsion ends when the vampire dies."

It threw him, but he hid it quickly as he leaned against the bar behind him. Picking up his drink and crossing his free arm over his chest, he thought about saying something, decided against it and mumbled, "You should go Elena. I'm not really in the mood to listen to how I screwed up and - "

I guess if being Elena wouldn't cut it, then it was time to be me. "Actually, I should thank you." Well, that got his attention. Not wanting to look him in the eye, I looked up at the ceiling and around the room to make it obvious to him that I was seeing it for the first time. "Mom was obsessed with turning. She wouldn't stop going on about it until she finally found someone to do it . . . Since then, she's calmed way down." 

He was on me in a flash and had me pinned against the wall by my throat. Not entirely unexpected. "Katherine?"

The key was to stay calm. I dropped the stake from inside my sleeve, so I could use it to cut my finger before pushing it back up into it's sheath and showing him my finger. "Guess again." 

He looked confused. "You're human."

"You're observant."

"How - "

"Could answer you better if I could breathe." I looked him in the eye to show him I wasn't afraid of him if he hadn't gotten that by now, and he loosened his grip, but kept me where I was. "I'm here to help."

"That doesn't tell me who you are."

"Eve . . . I'm Elena's identical twin. She doesn't know I exist . . . and she can't." I felt him tighten his hand around my throat and quickly added, "It's to keep her safe . . . just think of it . . . any time there's danger, you can substitute me in for her, and she'll be safe . . . If she knows about me, will she let that happen?" 

He looked confused for a fraction of a second before relaxing his hold again. "What do you get out of it?"

"It's what I was raised to do. I can't tell you more right now, and I don't expect you to trust me . . . I don't even want you to like me. I don't want to be friends. I think that two people working together to achieve the same goal is a much better target in this situation . . . Just know that I am here to help keep her alive, and . . . I was supposed to meet her, but - " I rolled my eyes and looked away from him before sighing in defeat. "I can't . . . I don't want to meet her. I'm not sure that I like her . . . Actually, I feel a little resentful when I think about her." 

As my dirty little secret slipped out, I slumped before looking back at him, and he let me go, but that didn't mean he got out of my personal space. He'd still kill me in a second if I said the wrong thing. "And why is that?"

I frowned and looked away from him again. I couldn't say too much, because I knew the ultimate goal, and I couldn't give that way. "Like I said, this is what I was raised to do." Glancing at him, I added, "Anyway, I know Elena gets into a lot of trouble, but I come battle ready and - " 

He took a step back and laughed before looking behind me and shouting, "You almost had me brother, but you're gonna have to do better than that if - "

I quickly sidestepped to hide behind the nearest floor-length curtain and waited for Stefan, but it was quiet. When I peeked around the side of the curtain, Damon was alone and looking at me, like he was getting annoyed, so I asked, "What?"

"What are you doing?"

I looked towards the archway, but it would seem he merely assumed that Stefan was there rather than actually hearing him. Whispering loudly, I hissed, "Stefan can't know. He'll tell Elena, and then everyone will know . . . nobody can know I exist. I know that makes it easier for me to die without anyone knowing, but like I said, it's kind of why I'm here." Looking off to the side, I tried to determine if that was too much for him to know and frowned. Maybe. I mumbled, "And don't think of using that to get rid of me before you see what I can really do. It'd be a rather anti-climactic end to my life." My eyes flicked to him, and he was still just watching me. I didn't like it, so I said, "I was trained to be a vampire hunter . . . I know what I'm doing." 

His head tilted to the side, while he appraised me. "Pinned you easy enough."

I rolled my eyes and stepped out from behind the curtain. "I let you do it. I'd be pretty disappointed if you hadn't reacted the way you did." Dropping the stake out of my sleeve to make my point, I added, "I could've killed you if I wanted at any point since I've walked in this room, especially when you had me pinned. You left yourself wide open for it."

He clearly didn't buy that I was dangerous to him. He blatantly turned his back on me to head back to the bar. "Why'd you come here, Eve?"

"I need an inside man, someone who will call me in when I'm needed and find a way to make it work without anyone noticing. You'll do it because you care about her." He scoffed at that, and I sighed. "For a couple of years now, I've been living with a vampire. I know there's more under the surface with her, so I know there's more with you too, and I know you care about my sister. Also, you're unscrupulous, so I thought you might be my best bet."

He topped up his drink and shook his head. "I meant why now?"

"I've been in town a little while, so I could get to know the people I would have to interact with here. I've been watching and waiting for my Mom to give me a signal. She gave me that signal tonight."

He took a drink and hung his head. I knew I wasn't answering the question in the way he wanted, but he decided to play along. "Let me guess. It was the man she compelled."

"Yeah. She had him give Elena a message and then walked him in front of a truck for dramatic emphasis."

He turned to look at me and leaned back against the bar again. Lifting his glass in my direction, he noted, "That doesn't seem to bother you."

"If she let him go, he wasn't bad, but her killing him tells me he was. She only kills bad people."

"That she tells you about."

"I've helped her clean up the bodies and then researched enough of her victims to know that most of the time, she only kills bad people. Sometimes . . . well, you know how it is sometimes. Sometimes she struggles to control it, but that's rare. Even when she first turned that was rare."

"She trained you to hunt vampires?"

"No." 

"Who did?"

"My Dad."

Damon looked like he wanted more than that, like a name, but if I told him too much, then I knew he'd most likely kill me. He didn't trust anyone new, so I'd have to prove myself to him before I would be safe enough to tell him more. "So, you know who Elena's Dad is?"

"I do. He helped raise me."

"And Isobel? Did she get this great idea before or after - "

"Before you turned her . . . Like I said, I've trained for this my whole life. Both of them had a hand in it, not just her."

He hummed into his glass and muttered, "Gotta admire their commitment," and I smiled.

"You have no idea."

"Getting one . . . So, if you're here there has to be a reason."

"Same question, different way of asking it."

He smirked. "You're not going to tell me? I thought we were bonding."

"Mmm. I have to keep you from trying to kill me straight away somehow. Keeping you curious about me may be my best bet. I just wanted to introduce myself tonight." I stepped to the side, so I could be closer to the archway out of the room. I really didn't want Stefan to catch me here. It would make things that much more complicated if he did. I made it to the archway, and then in the blink of an eye, Damon flashed across the room to stand behind me and bent down over my shoulder.

"Could've killed you just now."

I looked at him over my shoulder and saw his fangs were out, but I gave him a soft smile. When you see your Mom like that, it doesn't freak you out. "Correction. You could've bitten me by now, but one, I'm loaded with vervain, so biting me would be a big mistake. Two, even if I didn't have the vervain in my system, it'd still take you at least a minute to drain me to the point of unconsciousness. There's a lot of time in a minute for me to turn things around. Three, if you snapped my neck, it'd take a second, but the idea is the same. Any time is better than no time, so I could figure something out . . . same goes for if you went for my heart. I knew you weren't going to do any of those things, so no need to worry about any of the above." 

He registered the sincerity of what I was saying, and his fangs and the veins under his eyes receded. "Well, aren't you just a ray of sunshine."

Now it was my turn to smirk. "Until you make me mad." 

He stood upright and circled around to face me. "What would it take for me to see that?"

"I think you already know."

He gave me a lopsided smile and said, "Right, so if I were to blow your cover - "

"I'd kill you."

His eyes widened playfully. "There you go ruining the moment again."

Ignoring him, I added, "And I'm sneaky. You wouldn't even see it coming. I learned from the best."

Crossing his arms across his chest, but keeping the toying smirk in place, he said, "And I'm just supposed to take your word on it."

I shrugged. "Do or don't. I guess we'll see."

I took a step back towards the hallway, and he asked, "How will I find you if you're needed?" 

I smiled again. "I'm sure you'll find a way. Isn't the hunt part of the fun?"

"You are so playing with fire . . . I can't tell if that's confidence or a complete lack of understanding."

"I've accrued plenty of scars over the years, and I'm still standing. I think I understand."

His eyebrows rose. To cut off his smart ass remark, I tilted my head to the side and pulled my hair away from my neck. He took a step closer and used his finger to pull my collar away before he gave a quiet whistle. "Someone got you good."

"Look again. A few someones have gotten me good." 

I felt his finger on my neck, while he traced the faint lines. I knew what he'd see. There were at least 7 bites there that had healed, but blended together to look like one or at most two really bad bites. "How - "

"The best way to not be afraid of a bite is to get bitten."

His eyes flicked to mine. "Wait, so - "

"I let them bite me, and I did it on every hunt until I was no longer afraid. That's how I know how long I have to get out of something if I am bitten."

His brows furrowed. "Who - "

"My Dad taught me that, and he was right, or I wouldn't be standing here right now . . . I really need to go before Stefan gets here." 

Raising his finger as he stood upright, like he wanted me to wait, Damon said, "Just one more thing." I waited expectantly, and he said, "You weren't surprised when I called you Katherine . . . You wanna tell me - "

"Aunt Kat? I know I look like her. I don't like calling her Aunt, but she and Mom insist." 

It took all the wind out of his sails, and then his mood turned dark. "Where is she?"

"I have no idea. She shows up when she wants to show up and leaves when she wants to leave. She's uh," I paused trying to find the right words and said, "like a tornado. Destructive and hard to predict, but there's a certain beauty to her that you have to admire." He didn't look like he knew whether he wanted to kill me or ask me more questions, because it was clear that I knew her. I knew if the tomb was open that he did it, and he did it to find her, so it was a volatile subject that I didn't want to delve into too much with him right now. I needed him to get to know me first, so one of us didn't wind up dead. "If you ever want someone to talk to about her, I'm free most of the time. I don't really have much going on right now," I said taking another step back. He let me go, but I didn't turn my back on him. I took another step back and another and then I was around the corner on my way to the front door. When I got to it, he flashed ahead of me to stop me again. 

"Did she send your Mom to me to turn?" He looked like he really wanted to know, like all would be forgiven if she had.

"No. Mom did that on her own. She thought there was a certain kind of symmetry to having one of the Founding Families turn her." 

I went to open the door, and he shut it. "Did she send you to me?"

"Pay attention. I sent me to you, because I don't want to meet Elena." 

He rolled his eyes, like he was losing patience with me and said, "I meant did she send you here . . . to Mystic Falls?"

"No, my parents did, but she's aware of everything that's going on in this town. She likes to keep tabs on her dopplegangers."

Almost in defeat, he dragged his hand away from the door as he made his way back into the other room, and I knew it still wasn't safe to turn my back on him. He could snap and rush back to try and break my neck in almost no time at all. Still, I felt somewhat bad for him, so as I opened the door, I whispered, "She means it in the moment, but she can't form real connections with anyone. It's one of consequences of her being on the run for over 500 years. She needs to be able to pick up and leave at a moment's notice without looking back," knowing he would hear me. 

I waited for a response, and about 10 seconds went by before I heard him shout, "Leave! Now!" and then heard glass smash. If ever there was a cue to leave, I figured that was it.


	4. A Day in the Life

The next day wound up being just like every other day that I was in Mystic Falls. I woke up whenever I felt like it, forced myself to get up, and started stretching. Then I trained. I had to keep physically fit somehow. Sit ups, V-sits, lunges, jumping rope to get my heart going, since I couldn't run to do it, push ups, pull ups, and some light weight training, and then I did it all again and again until I'd been active for an hour. If it was a weekday, it was easier to do, because I could put all of my concentration into it once I knew the Gilberts were at school. When I was done, I stretched again until I'd cooled down, took a shower, and made breakfast. After breakfast, it was my turn to attend 'school,' which really just meant that I carried on with the lesson plans my Mom had given me. 

I didn't have to walk from class to class or waste time listening to people talk or talk myself, so my school didn't last as long as a 'normal' student's would. Trigonometry, English, Chemistry, Government, Spanish, and Music. Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, I learned Chemistry and Music Theory. Tuesdays and Thursdays were essentially lab days. The Chemistry experiments weren't anything too difficult and could be completed with household products. For Music, I was learning how to play the guitar. At some point, I ate lunch, and when my education was done, I stuck on the news to have on in the background, while I waited for everyone to get back to the Gilbert house. 

That day was quiet. If it wasn't quiet for the people I was watching, it was for me. I was able to leave the apartment more now that I'd been given the go ahead from Mom . . . so long as it was part of the plan to keep Elena safe, but being out most of the evening before had been plenty of excitement for me after weeks of doing nothing. I'm not agoraphobic. I don't feel a panic attack coming on when I leave the house or when I am surrounded by people. I just don't necessarily need a whole lot of people to be around me. I find them draining. 

I never went to school, because it wasn't safe for there to be records of me out there. I never had friends for the same reason, and even if I had ever had friends, we moved around so much when I was growing up, I never would've been able to keep them. I had people across the counter who rang up my orders for food or clothing, but any real human interactions were with my parents, and that's it. If I ever had a chance to step in for Elena, people surrounding me and 'caring' because they thought I was her was going to be a difficult thing for me to overcome. I would. I had to overcome it for this to work, but just thinking about it made me a little nervous. She seemed to have a pretty active social life.

I watched as Elena left with Stefan to go somewhere that night. I could either stay where I was and wait for her to come back, or I could follow her. If I stayed behind, it would mean that I would only continue to get bits and pieces of what was going on in her life. If I followed her, I wasn't concerned about being seen, because thanks to vampire hunting, I was pretty good at hiding and staying in the shadows, but that only works for so long, and it was the vampire she had on her arm that was keeping me where I was. I was all too well aware of how developed his senses of hearing and smelling were . . . Those heightened senses were probably one of the reasons why I would've never snuck out on my Mom even if I had people to meet and places to go, which I didn't. All it would take is a single scrape of the foot, and he would know someone was following. If he did, and then saw me, I was convinced it might become another 'Katherine' debacle. 

I hadn't really thought about it until Damon said it, but if I were to be seen, and one of the vampires that knew both Elena and Katherine, namely Stefan, Anna, or Damon, saw me but knew Elena was somewhere else, then they would automatically assume I was Katherine. The same went with any tomb vampires. I had to assume that they'd been released, and that meant they knew who Katherine was. While that would allow my true identity to remain hidden, it was also a good way for me to wind up dead before I ever had a chance to do anything. Katherine had a tendency to rub people the wrong way, and vampires have very long memories. Admittedly, Elena was in the same boat as me when it came to the tomb vampires, because I doubted they knew she existed, and I was supposed to protect her, which meant I should be out there doing it, but I had to think of the larger picture.

I was meant to keep her safe from things that were far worse than a few vampires that'd been locked away in a tomb for almost 150 years. Hard to believe, I know, but there were worse things out there than that, and I had to trust that the Salvatores would at least be able to handle protecting her from the tomb vampires, or I'd risk getting killed before my time. Short excursions and doing enough to get Damon to trust me to be brought in on the bigger things was what I needed to do now. Once that rapport had been established, then I'd get called in when the times were more crucial. It was a long con of the highest order.

After doing a risk assessment of the situation, I decided to stay put and wasn't all that surprised when Elena came back a few hours later. The only surprising thing was that she came home alone. Jeremy certainly wasn't alone after Anna came back. I shook my head. What was their Aunt thinking? She was young. She wasn't much older than us, and I think that showed, as did the fact that they were not her kids. There's no way in Hell my Mom would be that lax, and that was before she became a vampire. I waited until I was sure they were all in for the night and the lights all went off before getting up from my window seat and stretching. 

The night wasn't all that young. In fact, it was pretty late, but I had what was left of it to myself, so I went over to flip on the TV, so I could find a movie to watch. I didn't feel like training. I didn't feel like being here either . . . not just the apartment over the garage where I was staying, but in Mystic Falls in general. I was feeling restless and uncomfortable in my surroundings, but it's not like I wanted to be out on the streets here either. I wanted something that felt familiar, but nothing did, not even my car. It's not like I could drive it. If I was training, which I did in the mornings or at night, I could only do it within the walls of this apartment. I missed running outside. Last night was the first chance I'd had to do it since I got here. I sighed. None of that mattered. My uncomfortable surroundings, learning about the life of a twin I resented, and being bored didn't register on the scale of what was important. Lives were at stake, and that's what was important. We all have to make sacrifices, I guess. 

I stared at the screen and flicked between a few different movies. The Korean film _Old Boy_ was a classic, but in some ways it hit a little too close to home, what with the whole long-term planning that spanned years and whatnot, and I wasn't in the mood. I wasn't really in the mood for _Evil Dead_ or _Full Metal Jacket_ either and settled on _Shrek_. It was the one I was always going to choose. I loved watching movies. It's pretty much the only non-serious thing I ever got to do, and in this instance, _Shrek_ was the least serious thing I could watch, which is kind of what I needed.


	5. The Farmhouse

I was lounging in my window seat with my guitar in hand the next day. I wasn't very good, but wanting to get better meant it gave me something to do. I wasn't at it very long when a rock came flying through the top part of the window above me. I shook the shards of glass off my guitar and lap. I didn't think any had gotten in my hair, but that's where my hand went to check when I looked out to see the culprit standing in my lawn. Rolling my eyes, I lifted the bottom part of the window and said, "Is being destructive the only way you know how to get people's attention?"

"Well, I would've knocked, but I can't seem to get that far." 

One of my parents might pay the rent, but the person who owned this whole property was no longer in the country. Nobody could compel her to let anyone in here or kill her. The only one other than her who could decide who was allowed to enter was me . . . per legal agreement. That didn't mean he couldn't get up on the roof by my window and knock though. I frowned and looked at the small hole in the window above me. "You're fixing that, Damon."

"Sure. I'll do that. Just have to let me in first."

I shook my head. "You could just fix it from out there." Before he could say anything back, I glanced towards Elena's house and said, "Does this have anything to do with you bringing her back unconscious?"

He smirked and stuck his hands in his pockets before saying, "You saw that, huh? Thought you were supposed to be protecting her, and then you go and let something like that happen."

Knowing he would still be able to hear me, I stood up to go get a dust pan and broom, while responding. "She gets into a lot of trouble. I'd have absolutely no time to myself if all I did was run around trying to keep her from getting every single bump and scrape that comes her way." I brushed the broken glass I could see into the dust pan and then looked down at him again. "Besides, it's your job to find a time and place to substitute me in on this. I'm guessing something came up, or you wouldn't be here . . . If you weren't here for something, you'd probably just wait until I left to prove you found me." As I walked away to empty the pan in the bin, I added, "But I've decided not to go out unless summoned, so you'd be waiting a while." When I got back to the window, he was looking in the direction of her house. "What do you need, Damon?" He looked up at me, so I smiled brightly and said, "Am I being summoned?"

He rolled his eyes and rocked back on his heels before waving towards himself. "Yeah, come on down."

Excellent. Something to do. I rushed back into my apartment and then paused. What were we doing exactly? Popping my head out the window again, I quickly asked, "What are we doing?"

He looked like he was second guessing his choice. "The tomb vampires have my brother. I need - "

"To get him back, and Elena wanted to help, which is why you knocked her out and came to me?"

"Uh, yeah . . . I can't get in the house where they're keeping him, and - "

"I'll be down in a minute." That gave me a better idea of what I needed to bring. There were 27 vampires in the tomb, so he'd definitely need back up. I grabbed my duffle bag with the standard killing gear and threw it over my shoulder. Next, I tucked my vervain dart gun into the back of my waistband, tied my hair up in a ponytail, and threw on my black hoodie before bounding out the door and down the stairs from my apartment above the garage. By the time I got outside, he was already in his car. Opening the door, I tossed my duffle bag in the back seat and breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe my plan would work. 

"What are you so happy about?"

I looked over at him and decided to ignore his question. "I like your car." Looking around, I added, "Not as much as mine, but it's not bad."

He threw a glare my way as we pulled out onto the road. With his elbow on the doorframe, he rested his chin on his fingers, like he was deep in thought, so I left him to it and decided to enjoy the ride while it lasted. When he spoke again, my eyes were closed as I basked in the sun and wind. "What's so great about your car?" 

I glanced at him. He didn't have to say anything to entertain me. I was just happy to be out of the house. It'd probably be rude to say that though. "My Dad and I rebuilt it, but I felt a connection to it before we even did that. My Mom said it was a piece of junk, but I wanted it, and she got it for me without compelling the guy into handing it over. Now I think of it as part of the family."

I closed my eyes again to take in the breeze and heard him a few minutes later. "You're paler than her."

Looking down at the back of my hand, I shrugged. "Not always. Just lately. That's what happens when you stay indoors all the time."

When I looked back at Damon, he went back to looking out the driver's side window. "Might want to consider getting out more . . . You know, if you want to be her."

"I don't want to _be_ her." Maybe that came out a little too quickly and sounded like I was offended. I tried to backtrack. "I want people to think I'm her for short periods of time . . . but I'm my own person. I have no interest in having her life." I expected some kind of a question, like, 'Why not?,' or the more affronted, "What's wrong with her life?," but then I remembered I was talking to a vampire. He didn't care why I didn't. He might care about whether or not I was moving in on Elena's life or wanted to steal it or replace her or something, because that would be dangerous for her, and he cared about her, but my own personal reasons? He didn't care about those. "I don't like people." He looked at me, so I explained what I meant. "She has lots of people in her life, and the thought of being around all of them and pretending to care about them, or worse, having to pretend like I'm okay with them caring about me?" I shuddered and looked back out the window before saying, "It makes my skin crawl." There. He should think I was trying to steal Elena's life a little less and think I was less like Katherine too. Katherine loved being adored by others.

He didn't say another word until we got to an old farmhouse outside of town. I got out to grab my duffle bag, and he gave me a weird look. "I don't know why you brought all that. You don't need - "

I cut him off as I hefted the duffle bag over my shoulder. "Oh, I need . . . not all of us can have superhuman strength and speed."

As I walked around the front of the car he came around to stop me. "All I want you to do is get in there, get the woman who owns it out, and let me handle the rest."

I took a step to go around him and said, "That might be what you want, but it's not what you need. You need - "

He grabbed my arm to stop me. "What I don't need is for you to get in my way."

The last thing I wanted was to wind up like Elena and knocked out, so I needed to think about how to respond. "If getting that woman out of the house is the only reason you need me, then you would've just compelled any random stranger to go in and do it. What you need is all of them dead, so a war doesn't break out with 27 vampires on one side and just you and your brother on the other . . . and that's if you both survive getting him out. What you may want is to find a solution to me, and this would be an ideal situation for that . . . if one of them kills me, then all you have to do is kill whoever sees me, and hide my body. No one would be the wiser. I think it's best if I watch my back, and you watch yours . . . That way, I don't get in your way." He mulled it over and stepped out of my way, so as I passed him, I added, "And when I say run . . . run." That earned me another Damon-sized road block in my way. I looked up at him and blinked. "What?"

His eyes narrowed. "What are you planning?"

I looked at the farmhouse. "Everyone in that house that isn't your brother is going to die . . . They have to . . . We can't have any of them escaping after they see what I can do and go after Elena thinking she can do the same thing, can we?" 

I watched him, and he seemed to have some difficulty in . . . yeah, now he was laughing at me. Whatever. I went to go around him again, but quickly got pulled back by the strap of my duffle bag. "Hold up there, Buffy . . . You're not going to get far lugging this thing around. Bring the essentials and leave the rest."

I looked down at my bag before glancing at the house. "Well, I'm obviously not taking this in there with me, but I can't leave it so far away that I can't get to it if I need it, and the car is too far away." 

He watched me for a few moments before letting me go. "Whatever . . . I don't care as long as you don't die before that woman is out of the house." 

I waited until we got to a place not too far from the back door before I put my bag behind a bush and crouched down to pull out my pistol crossbow. It had a strap on it that I put around my neck, which helped free up my hands. After I knew that was secure, I strapped on the thigh sheath and put my favorite stake into it. That stake had a spell on it that made it indestructible, so I knew it was reliable, and I liked the way it felt in my hand. I checked the handgun with wooden bullets and tucked it where my vervain dart gun had been before putting on a holster that was loaded with vervain dart ammunition and sliding my vervain gun into that. If I was only bringing the bare essentials, I guess all that was really left was my - I fell over when Damon nudged me hard to get my attention. I looked up at him with an exasperated glare, and he shook his head. I looked at the homemade bombs that I'd been reaching for again. What was his problem with those?

I couldn't exactly talk to him, because we were too close to the house, but blowing this house up was one way I knew for sure we'd get rid of any vampires that we didn't see. Fire and wooden splinters galore were a vampire hunter's best friend. I tried to convey that by giving him something that some people might consider a pout, and he gave me a stern look that said, 'no,' before shaking his head. I put up two fingers trying to negotiate. If I put the bombs in the right places, I could get by with two. Instead of humoring me, he grabbed my hand and forced me to stand before giving me a little nudge towards the back door. Well, if he thought I was going in the most obvious route dressed as a vampire hunter when they more than likely had vampires in and around the door waiting for him to come back, he had another thing coming. 

Moving around to the side of the house and taking a step back, I sprinted forward, used the lightest of touches to kick off the post holding the roof up over the porch, and pulled myself onto the roof. I was quite proud of my accomplishment, but when I looked back at Damon, he had his hands on the sides of his head and was looking between me and the door, like he thought I'd definitely been heard. I smirked. There were 27 vampires in there . . . maybe more, maybe less, but with all the noise they were probably making, nobody would notice the sound I'd just made. I'd been too quiet. When he saw that I hadn't been heard, he gave me a glare, and then waved for me to go on, like he was annoyed that I was wasting time. 

I made my way around to the nearest window. That room was no good. There were at least two vampires in there that I could see, so I went to another and another until I found a room that was empty. Opening the window might be tricky, especially if the windows were as old as this house, and it creaked. Nothing I could do about that now. If anything came into this room, I'd just start shooting. A shot to the neck would get the vervain into their system faster than if you shot them anywhere else. I slid the window up until it got stuck about halfway, but that was enough room for me, so I slid my way into the house and waited to see if I'd been heard before reaching behind me and quietly pushing the window down. My thinking was that if the vampires suddenly heard more noise, like birds or the wind, coming from outside, they'd come investigate and see the window was open. Then they'd know someone was in the house. I needed the element of surprise to stay with me for as long as possible for this to work. 

I was almost to the door of the room when I heard footsteps and voices coming down the hall, so I swung behind the door and hid, while I waited to see what they did. I kept my vervain gun ready and quietly grabbed the stake out of my thigh sheath. If they were paying attention, they'd be able to hear my heart and smell me, but they most likely didn't expect a human to be so brazen as to be on the second floor of their house. If they heard me, they didn't act like it, but they still came into the room. 

Maybe they were just doing rounds to make sure the house was still secure, or maybe they just wanted some space away from the others. Whatever their reason, they didn't say, or if they did, I wasn't paying attention. I was looking for my moment, and then struck as soon as they came into my line of sight. Stepping out from behind the door, I leveled my gun on the one furthest from me and shot him in the neck before swinging my stake in a backwards motion into the girl's neck to keep her from screaming, withdrew the stake, grabbed her from behind and staked her in the heart. Unfortunately, the guy fell harder than I'd intended, and I didn't have time to be gentle with her body, so I dropped it too, bent down to stake the male in the heart, and then made a mad dash for the window I'd just closed minutes prior. Bodies dropping were way too loud. On the other hand, it might give us the 'in' we needed.

I swung myself out through the window and sprinted as quickly and quietly as I could to the side of the house where the back door was. Without stopping, I dropped when I got to the edge, spun in a 180 as I fell, caught the edge of the roof, used my momentum to swing towards the back door and crashed into it near the handle feet first. Luckily, it wasn't locked, so it just popped right open. I guess a house full of vampires don't think they need to lock the doors. The woman was just inside the kitchen, and there was a vampire watching her, but most of the house was now on the second floor inspecting the bodies I dropped, so all I had to do was dart this vampire, push the lady out the back door, and stake the vampire I'd just shot. 

When I looked back over my shoulder, Damon had just dropped the woman's body and was stepping through the doorway muttering, "You suck at this." I threw him a glare and turned to head into the other room, but was stopped when Damon grabbed my arm. "Go get my brother and take him to the car. He's in the basement."

That made me pause. Stefan would surely know I wasn't Elena. Damon pushed me towards the door that lead to the basement and gave me another little shove to get me going. I wanted to ask if I smelled like her or something, so I would have less to worry about, but decided against talking. No need for the other vampires to know I was here just in case one of them got away. Instead, I looked at the stake in my hand and flipped it around for Damon, so he could take the handle. I had other things I could use. I didn't need it just then.

The look on my face said, 'I want this back.' He paused a moment and then took my weapon. As soon as my stake left my grasp, I made my way out the door. If I remembered right from when we were walking around the house, there was a way into the basement from outside the house too. We could use that for our escape. Rounding the corners of the stairs, I held my pistol crossbow at the ready. I couldn't just dart a vampire and then stake it anymore, so I might as well stake it with my first shot. I already missed my stake. Especially, when reloading the crossbow took time I might not have. I was lucky though. With the commotion going on upstairs and Damon keeping the vampires from following me down here, there was only one guard in my way. He was fast, but I think I'd already pulled the trigger by the time I saw him. 

I didn't quite hit him in the heart, but as he bent forward to gasp at the sudden shock of pain, I grabbed one of the bolts for my crossbow that was safely held in the strap, stepped forward, and thrust it up into his heart. As his body fell, I took a deep breath to relax and took in my surroundings. I didn't have company yet anyway. I wanted to get in and out as fast as possible. I did not want to get trapped in there.

Taking another breath to steady myself, I opened the door and shook my head at the fact that there were more stairs leading down. Tactically, this was the worst place for me to have to go and the best place for them to keep him. It wasn't until my foot hit the floor at the bottom that I finally got a good look at Stefan, and it sucked the air right out of me. I hated torture. I had tortured under my Dad's instruction, but I didn't like it. It made me feel wrong to do it, and seeing Stefan like that even though I didn't know him felt wrong. I hated it. 

"Elena, you shouldn't be here."

I wanted to say, 'Well, I am,' but didn't think that's what Elena would say. "Come on, let's get you down." He was tied with rope . . . I'm guessing it was soaked in vervain based on the burns around his wrists. That wouldn't hurt me, but it did make it difficult to untie. Should've brought my knife . . . or not. If you pulled the right part of the rope, it came undone pretty easily. I put Stefan's arm around my shoulder and disliked it immediately. Now if anything came for us, I'd be severely limited in what I could do to protect us. Would Elena just drop him and fight, or hold onto him and hope a good verbal lashing would be enough? I didn't know. I glanced at the vampire tied up in the chair and thought about stopping to stake him, because he'd seen me, and nobody who saw me here today could live, but would Elena do that? It was clear he was down here being tortured too. I didn't have to debate it for long, because Damon came downstairs, saw his brother was getting out, and went to deal with the vampire himself, but Stefan mumbled, "Not him."

Damn. Damon shared a look with me and sighed before nodding in the direction of the door. "Whatever. Let's go." As Stefan and I passed the vampire in the chair, I grabbed the stake pinning one of his legs down, pulled it out, and thought about surreptitiously using it to stab him in the heart without Stefan knowing, but felt a hand take it from me. When I looked back, Damon glanced at his brother and shook his head. Right. Elena wouldn't do that, and if Stefan saw, he'd know. That was worse than this vampire merely seeing 'Elena' free her boyfriend. At least the wounded vampire didn't know I'd killed a few vampires myself. That would really give me away.

We made it to the top of the stairs before any more vampires showed up. My first instinct was to drop Stefan and fight, but as quickly as I dropped his arm from around me, his arm was perched back around my shoulders, and I was taking his full wait again as someone put him back where he'd been. _Damn it, Damon._ I looked to my left, and Damon was flashing around us to deal with the newest vampires. "Take him to the car . . . Elena." Right. So, dropping Stefan was definitely something she wouldn't do. I went left while the vampires and Damon stayed to the right, and Stefan was really heavy after a while, especially when I stopped to scoop up my duffle bag. He was so out of it, I doubted that he'd noticed me doing it, because he didn't ask what it was.

When we got to the car, I was mostly thinking about how I couldn't wait to lose his additional weight, stretch, and go back to help finish off whatever vampires were left, but unfortunately, one of the vampires either followed us or figured out where we were going and decided to head us off, because as soon as I got Stefan in the car and went to head back to the house, I heard glass breaking and turned in time to see Stefan get pulled out of the car. Whether it's what Elena would've said or not, I muttered, "You sonofoabitch," because after all that work getting Stefan out of the house, I was not about to lose him now. The vampire got a good strike in on Stefan and stabbed him with a branch, but he was just toying with him, or had really bad aim, because he missed Stefan's heart and went to stab him again. It gave me time to quickly pull my dart gun from my waistband and shoot him in the jugular. "Elena?"

I looked down at Stefan. He seemed weak and confused. _Shit. Is that not something she would do? Damn, damn, and triple damn._ I went to him and fell to my knees. "Stefan, are you okay?" I frowned. Did he just pass out? If he did, I could just go kill that other vampire, while he was out. I looked at the vampire on the ground. I was so tempted . . . but what would Elena do? If Stefan woke up and saw the other vampire dead, he'd wonder how it happened. I sighed and looked towards the house. I could always say Damon did it, but what if Damon didn't come back? What if he died? That lie wouldn't work out. I looked back down at Stefan and shook my head unsure of what to do. 

I guess Stefan could deal with the other vampire. I was sure that after what he'd been through, he'd be up for it, and it'd probably make him feel better about himself if he could 'protect' his 'girlfriend' after what'd happened. He needed blood. Well, he couldn't have mine. With all the vervain in it, it'd do him more harm than good. I looked back at my duffle bag and searched it to see what I could find. There was nothing in the main compartment, but I did find a small bag in the front pouch. It probably tasted rotten. I hadn't opened it since I used it as bait on a hunt a few months ago. Still. It was better than nothing.


	6. Being Summoned

Two weeks later, I was sitting in my spot by the window, again attempting to learn the guitar, when I felt like I was being watched. I quickly stood, looked out the window, and pointed down at Damon with a warning look. I'd just gotten that window fixed a few days ago, and I would not be happy if it was broken gain. He gave me a cheeky grin, tossed the rock he had in his had up in the air, caught it, and then tossed it a few more times. When his eyebrows arched expectantly, I pushed the window up and stuck my head outside. "Am I being summoned?"

"It'd be a whole lot easier if you'd just invite me in, so I could knock like a normal person."

"But you're not a normal person, and you wouldn't knock. You'd come and go as you pleased." I smiled and added, "So, what did you need? I'm all yours."

Dropping the rock, Damon said, "What I need is for you to fix what you broke."

My eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "What'd I break?"

"My brother."

My head tilted to the side, while I appraised him, trying to find out if he was serious or not. It was hard to tell. "How'd I break him?"

"He hasn't had human blood in years. You gave him some. Ergo, you broke him."

"What's wrong with him?"

Damon started pacing and pointed up at me before saying, "See, I don't think there's anything wrong with him . . . I like him better like this. He's more fun, but he is unpredictable, and the Founders Council is on high alert right now with all the bodies that have been dropping. Stefan's downing blood bags by the dozen, and he's lying about it . . . and not just to me. To Elena too, and with him being unpredictable, it's only a matter of time before - "

"He hurts her? What do you want me to do about it? Do you want me to stake him, or - "

"No, I don't want you to stake him, Little Miss Stabby . . . What I was going to say is that it's only a matter of time before he snaps. He is a ripper, and that means - "

"Oh." I slumped as understanding hit me me. I knew from his dossier, that Stefan had a high body count, but I didn't know he was a ripper. I mean, in my defense, Damon had a high body count too, and he wasn't a ripper. "I know what that means. Uh . . . sorry? I don't understand what I can do though. Surely, my twin would have a better idea on that." 

Damon had stopped pacing and was staring at me. "I need you to help me get him into detox."

"Can't Elena do that?"

"She can't be in two places at once."

"What?"

He gave me a little scowl, while he answered, "It'd be a whole lot easier if we could talk about this face to face. Why don't you let me up there?"

I shook my head slightly and stepped back. "I'll come down."

As I walked out the door at the bottom, I was expecting him to be near his car again, not right in front of me. "Why won't you invite me in?"

"I like my own space. I don't need this - " I opened my hand and pushed it towards his chest without actually touching him. "All up in it." I took a step back to get some of my personal space back from him and said, "If they're watching the blood banks in town, why don't you just raid the blood banks in the towns around here?"

He shook his head. "It's a short-term solution, and thanks to that new dick on the Founder's Council, they're watching those too. Anything within a 75 mile radius is off limits."

"So go further than that."

"You're missing the point."

Maybe I was. I gave him a slight shrug to indicate he might be right, and he sighed before turning away from me. "There's an event this afternoon. Elena's going to be preoccupied. I'm planning on telling her what's going on with Stefan at it . . . She'll probably yell at him, and then he'll be on his own. I think that if they fight, and he sees her again, he won't look too closely when it's you. He'll just want to make up with her. Knock him out with one of those vervain darts of yours, and I'll handle the rest."

That seemed pretty simple. "Okay."

He turned to look at me again, his forehead crinkled in suspicion. "Just like that?"

"I may not like this town, but I don't want him ripping his way through it."

"Didn't think you had a problem with killing. Certainly didn't have a problem with me snapping that woman's neck back at the farmhouse."

I didn't kill that woman. Damon did. I gave him a confused look and said, "I knew what had to be done as soon as you said you couldn't get into the house, so I wasn't exactly surprised by it." I pointed behind me at the house. "Why do you think the owner of this property is out of the country and doesn't have any family that can be compelled into letting any vampires in here?" 

He shook his head in . . . was that disgust? "You really are nothing like her. She would've ripped me a new one for that."

"But that woman meant nothing to you. It was her or Stefan. Of course you were going to choose Stefan. And I don't want him ripping this town apart, because I don't like needless death . . . that's wrong . . . and so is torture. I - "

Damon turned to walk away. "Yeah, I don't care. Just be at the Lockwood Estate by 3."

"Wait. You want me to go out in public?"

He stopped and looked at me. "Gotta come out some time, Creepy Pants." Looking up at my window, he added, "Scheming 101. You can't stay holed up in your cave all the time if you want your schemes to work."

"I told you what I want."

He came back to me in a flash and was quick to say. "Run it by me again."

I frowned. "I said -"

"You're here to protect Elena, but I'm not buying that. You haven't done anything that would make me think you give a damn about what happens to her."

If he was trying to rattle me, he wouldn't. I reached up and smoothed out the collar on his leather jacket, while saying, "I'll be there when it matters most." 

His eyes narrowed in distrust. "You know something."

"I do." My gaze flicked from his collar up to his eyes before I said, "These tomb vampires and all the rest of it are child's play compared to what's coming."

"Katherine?"

I rolled my eyes and took a step back. "Nope, but if you remember, I did say that she'd been on the run for over 500 years." Giving him a fake gasp of shock, I sarcastically added, "I wonder what could make her run like that," before stepping through the doorway and giving him a wink. I so wanted to tell somebody, but I couldn't. That didn't necessarily mean that I couldn't confirm it if someone put the legwork in and asked.


	7. Miss Mystic Falls

I got to the Lockwood's at 2 and wished I hadn't. I wasn't sure if I wished I hadn't gotten there so early or just hadn't gone at all. Why did this thing with Stefan have to go down here? There were so many people rushing around, and those were just the caterers. I had no idea what it was going to be like when this place was packed in an hour. It made pretending to be Elena harder, because what if someone saw me darting Stefan? It wouldn't only be Stefan I'd have to fool, and what happened in the meantime? Between now and then, there were a whole host of people who could mistake me for Elena, and then those same people would talk to her and say, 'Oh, I just saw you, and you were a bitch,' and she'd be like, 'uh, I didn't see you,' and so on and so forth until my secret was out. Maybe that's what Damon wanted. Maybe he was trying to out me . . . or use his brother to take me out. I didn't know. What I did know was that if nobody saw me, then my risk went right down, so I just had to find a good hiding spot.

An hour later, I was amusing myself by watching, what I assumed was a new waitress, trying to juggle her tray of drinks. "You have terrible instincts for a vampire hunter." I was nestled on a branch in a fairly comfy tree and looked down to my right. When I did, Damon added, "You should've noticed I was here before I let you know I was."

Ignoring what felt like a scolding from him, I said, "Are you finally acknowledging that I'm a vampire hunter?" and smirked when he rolled his eyes.

"If I were feeling generous, I'd say you were a vampire hunter in training, and it shows." Now it was his turn to smirk as I glared down at him.

"I knew you were there."

"Uh huh, sure you did." He glanced towards the party. "Just so we're clear, you're not going to be staking my brother today."

I held up my hands and said, "I don't even have a stake on me . . . or a gun for that matter. He's not out of it, like he was the last time. He'll know something is off if I go at him armed."

Damon waited a beat before saying, "Do you have any idea what you're getting yourself into with him? Looking like Elena won't be enough to stop him if - "

"Hence the reason I'm here, right? You think it's too dangerous for her . . . especially if they have a fight." I arched my eyebrows, like I knew I was right, and he went back to watching the party. "You look quite handsome by the way. I'm sure you'll knock her dead." I'd gotten his attention again, so I smiled and said, "Oh, don't think I don't know you're probably figuring out ways to make this work to your advantage in the Elena department." Before he could say anything, I changed the subject again. "I have a pretty good view from here, but I can't see everywhere. If he leaves, is there any chance you could get him to come out a way that I can see, or - "

"Nah, he's too smart for that. He'd know something was up."

"Could you give me a signal when you're sure he's gone?"

He seemed intrigued. "Like what?"

I smiled mischievously and looked back at the party before saying, "See that waitress . . . the blonde? Get her to knock her tray of drinks on somebody, the more important they are, the better."

"What are you 12?"

Instead of getting annoyed with him, I said, "Add 5 years, and you're there. Not all of us can be grumpy old souls in the bodies of young people."

He looked offended. "I'm not grumpy."

"Mmm, but you are old?"

"I'm eternally youthful, not old. Old people are - "

"Boring." 

I smirked, and he said, "I'm not boring. You're boring . . . spending all your time tucked away in your cave . . . You want me to get that woman to knock her drinks on the damn mayor? Fine. I will."

He started to walk away, and I couldn't help but laugh before whispering, "Worked like a charm," and laughed again as the middle finger he sent my way let me know he'd heard me.

After that, I spent what felt like hours watching people prance around in formal attire. It all seemed so pointless and dull, but nothing seemed quite so sad as when the girls were introduced. It was less of a pageant and more of a debutante's ball, what with their escorts and dresses and everyone oohing and ahhing the fine young women of Mystic Falls. What made it sad wasn't just that this was going to be the highlight of some of those girls' entire lives, but the girls who didn't even get chosen. Why weren't they good enough to make the cut? Were their families not wealthy enough? Did their families just not have the prestige? Were they truly underachievers, or - I heard the crash of glassware, and my eyes snapped in a different direction. Damon was nowhere in sight, but must've used compulsion to do his dirty work, because the blonde girl had just knocked her tray all over some man who really didn't look all that happy about it. He looked like a dick. It was just champagne. I couldn't say I felt too bad for him. I'd feel bad for the girl, but I doubted she would've kept going with this job after today, so she'd be just fine . . . or maybe I should've picked another girl, because she was always going to drop that tray, and now I didn't know if she'd just been clumsy or it was Damon's doing. 

My eyes scanned the crowd and exits of the mansion, while the band continued to play, like nothing had happened. I didn't see Stefan. I did see the girls that'd come down the stairs lining up to do some kind of dance and saw Damon across from Elena instead of Stefan. Maybe that had been my cue. I hadn't seen Stefan come out this way, and while that was annoying, it did narrow down the ways he could've gone, so I hopped down from my branch and used the woods as a buffer between me and the party as I wound my way around the property looking for the younger Salvatore. Maybe he just went home. If he had, I didn't think it was much more than about a 10 minute jog to get there. I was preparing myself to run when I heard a noise to my left. My head whipped around in that direction, and I froze. He wasn't exactly hiding what he was doing, because we weren't that far from the heavily populated part of the party . . . not that he'd done anything yet, but he was working up to it. You could just tell by his posture and how he had the girl compelled to stand there. He was pacing and agitated. Sort of wish I'd brought the dart gun now. 

I was still debating my options, when Stefan suddenly lunged forward and sank his teeth into the girl's neck, and now I could see why my parents didn't want my sister dating him, even if he was the 'nice one'. I ran forward and stopped a few feet away. "Stefan! What are you doing?" If Elena saw this, that's what she'd say, right? She'd be shocked . . . wouldn't she?

His eyes didn't shift or go back to normal when he saw me, but he did stop biting the girl and let her fall to the ground. "Elena."

"Stefan . . . it's okay. We'll figure this out."

He took a couple of steps towards me, but those eyes gave away how much the bloodlust was still controlling him, so I discreetly got one of my darts out of the pocket of my jeans. "Elena . . . run!"

"I'm not running!" Was he fucking crazy? No way in hell was I going to make this fun for him by running. Maybe the way I'd said it was wrong, because he paused, but what I'd said, didn't necessarily have to be. "I mean, I'm not leaving you, Stefan. You won't hurt me . . . I know you won't. You - "

"Elena . . . You need to get out of here."

_And you need to come another step closer._ "Stefan - " I had him where I wanted him. Giving him sad eyes that I assumed Elena would give, I reached forward to touch him, and just before he lost what little control he had, I brought my other hand with the dart in it into his side before quickly taking a few steps back, so the vervain would have enough time to work. He followed me . . . slowly. One step, two steps, and he was down. I went over to check on the girl. She was bleeding pretty bad, but she was still alive, just unconscious. He hadn't had her a full minute, which meant he was faster than your average vampire at draining someone . . . not really all that surprising for a ripper, but definitely something for me to keep in mind for the future. I took the girl's sash and wrapped it around her neck to try and stop the bleeding, but not so tight that I strangled her. Going back to Stefan, I muttered, "What am I going to do with you?"

He had blood all over his mouth. If someone saw him, they'd know what he was. I tried to use his suit jacket to clean him up some, and then I thought that if someone saw him lying here, next to the girl with the bloody neck, they might still put two and two together. I couldn't just kick him in the head to leave a bump, because he'd heal. What to do? What to do? I jabbed him with another dart to make sure he was really down and then grabbed his arm before dragging him further into the woods. When I got him far enough away, I went back and tried to cover my tracks, so nobody would notice that a body had been dragged this way. When I was done and back to Stefan, I still wasn't sure what to do with him. Was I supposed to stay and make sure he didn't wake up or make sure that nobody found him? I didn't know. 

I sat down on the ground next to him, but out of arms reach and held the final dart I'd brought in my hand, while I watched him. If his nose so much as twitched, or his fingers moved, I would know, and I'd hit him with another dose. It'd be a good time to think, being out here in the woods, all on my own, but I was too on edge to let my mind wander. I couldn't afford to do that. If anyone wanted to know which brother was more dangerous, then I thought this one was. It wasn't just that his brother called him a ripper, it was . . . well, he was so out of control that he fed in the middle of the day right near a large gathering of people, many of whom knew about vampires and were trying to eradicate them from this town. It was definitely time for him to go back on the animal diet, and I may have officially given Damon my stamp of approval as far as vampires for my sister went. 

I don't know how long I was waiting when I heard a commotion at the edge of the woods. I guess the girl had been found. Maybe I was still too close to her. I didn't see anyone, but if I could hear them, it was probably too close. "Maybe I should move you again." I rolled onto my knees and brought the dart up, so I could jab him again, but before I could bring my hand down with enough speed to make it work, something grabbed me. I looked up, and relaxed.

"I think he's had enough."

I looked from Damon down to his brother and shook my head. "I don't know . . . I gave him two, but - "

"For crying out loud, Eve! Two?" 

He dropped down next to me to examine his brother, and I muttered, "That vampire at the farmhouse wasn't down for as long as he should've been. I just wanted to be sure." 

Damon glanced at me over his shoulder, hesitated, and then gave me a slight nod to let me know he wouldn't hold it against me before he looked around the woods and said, "You should go . . . There are people coming." I got up to my feet, and he felt the need to add, "I don't thank people, so if you're expecting - ."

I turned to walk further into the woods and away from the party, while saying, "I don't want to be thanked. It got me out of my cave for a while. That's good enough," before I picked up my pace and decided to run. I didn't want to have to explain to people hunting a vampire in the woods, why there were two Elena's running around.


	8. The Jonathan Gilbert Device

A few days later, I was in the middle of doing my V-sits when a stone bounced off my window. Well, I guess he was learning. I got up and went to find out what he wanted before he lost his patience. "Am I being summoned?"

"What? No." Staring at the thing in his hand, Damon said, "I need to know what this is," before holding it up, like that'd make it easier for me to see. I backed away from the window and went downstairs. When I opened the door, the first thing out of his mouth was, "So, you're still not going to invite me in?"

"Nope." I looked at the thing in his hands and asked, "What do you have?" 

He took one final look at it before hesitantly handing it over. "I need to know what it is, how it works, and why this guy wants it."

I examined the device in my hands. "It looks like a doomsday device."

I smirked up at him, and he rolled his eyes. "I'm not impressed yet. Keep going."

"It'd help if I knew a little more about it . . . like what you know."

"I know that it's one of Jonathan Gilbert's inventions."

Ah. My eyebrows rose as I looked back down at the device. "Well, he wasn't much of a vampire hunter, but he had some pretty good ideas on what actual hunters might need, so whatever this does will be bad for vampires."

With an air of impatience, Damon huffed out, "I got that much already. I was expecting more - "

I ignored him and said, "Whether it hurts or kills vampires, I don't know, but - " My eyes narrowed as I focused on the invention. "I bet whatever it does either hurts or kills a lot of vampires at once."

Taking a step closer to look at the device, Damon asked, "Why do you say that?"

I turned the contraption over and said, "Well, if the guy who wants this is a hunter, then he can easily just use his brain and standard weapons to take out a few vampires . . . But if you want to kill a lot of vampires, you'd wipe out an entire group at once rather than one-on-one." Looking up at him pointedly, I added, "Like let's say there was a wooden farmhouse full of vampires, and you had some bombs . . . the fire and exploding wood fragments would get most if not all of them if you did it right. And that's possible without this device, so . . . "

"We're talking more widespread devastation with this."

I shrugged, like that's what I was thinking before I looked at the device again. "And there has to be something special about it . . . It's mechanical, but if that's all that made it work, then this guy could get more of these by simply mass producing them, so what's stopping him from doing that? How did you get it?" 

"A vampire named Pearl stole it from Jonathan before she got locked in the tomb."

"Okay . . . so, it's been locked away all this time . . . how does this hunter know about it?" 

"He might've mentioned Katherine." My forehead crinkled in concentration, while I turned the small disc over in my hands, like a rubix cube. "I don't know. Maybe he heard about it from her, but how would he know what it looks like well enough to find it? Didn't Jonathan Gilbert write all kinds of things down, like - "

"A journal?"

I nodded and looked back up at Damon before saying, "Yeah, so there'd be a record of what it looked like somewhere, which is my point . . . If he knows what it looks like enough to know what it is when he sees it, and knows how it works, then there's a good chance he's seen drawings or notes or blueprints . . . something, and if that's the case, then why hasn't he just made another one of whatever this thing is? There's something special about it." Getting distracted by the device again, I traced my finger around the edges and said, "This part here . . . there's something missing." I waited to see if Damon knew what it was, but it didn't look like he did, so I said, "I bet this guy has the missing part, and that's what makes it work, but it looks like it'd just be another mechanical piece . . . that's not what makes it special. And I'm guessing you've already tried to destroy this, but nothing has worked, so that tells me - "

"Magic is involved." I glanced at Damon and nodded before looking back at the device. "Hey, you know, I wouldn't have even known it existed if this guy hadn't told me about it."

He hadn't asked for my opinion, but I could see he wanted it. "And look at how well you've followed his plan already . . . He wound you up, and you got the thing he couldn't find. Now he knows who has it, which is only half a step away from knowing where it is and having it himself." Damon looked offended, so I gave him a soft smile to let him know I hadn't meant to insult him. "But it's not just that. He sees you as his primary adversary in this town, and . . . you know how vampires like the hunt even more than the kill? Deep down, it's the same for vampire hunters. He's toying with you, because he thinks it's fun . . . but I'm guessing you already know that." I handed him back the device, and he seemed a little perplexed that I'd do that, like he would've expected me to want to keep something that could be used to kill him or any number of vampires, so I changed the subject. "How's your brother?"

Damon rolled his eyes. "Refusing to eat. He's just being melodramatic." 

"Hm, must run in the family." 

I smirked at his grumble, and he said, "One more thing . . . this guy . . . I killed him, and he came back. He's not a vampire, so - "

I took Damon's hand and touched his ring before saying, "How do you walk in the sun? A magic ring, right? There are rings and necklaces and trinkets out there for everything, including coming back from the dead if you've been killed by something supernatural. My Dad has a ring like that."

"Feel like killing him for me?"

"My Dad?"

"No, this guy."

Oh. "Can't. I don't kill people."

"Might as well have killed that old woman when you handed her over to me."

I sucked in a shallow breath before saying, "She was dead the moment those vampires took over her home and kept her there instead of sending her away . . . even more so after they took your brother. Their arrogance and cruelty are what killed her."

"I see denial runs pretty deep in that crazy head of yours."

"No, just . . . pragmatism. It is what it is. We probably did her a favor. They were feeding on her. She was essentially their slave, and it wouldn't have ended as long as they stayed in that house."

"Or until you killed all of them and the compulsion wore off. I mean, I still couldn't have gotten in there, but you, the hunter in training? I'd give you a 7% chance of pulling it off. Might've jumped the gun on just shoving her straight into my arms." I paused at that, and Damon smiled an almost genuine smile. "Look at me teaching the human about right and wrong." 

"7%?"

Still looking pleased with himself, Damon said, "Give or take . . . So, if I kill this guy, it's going to have to be solo?"

"Uh . . . yeah . . . and you can't compel someone else to do it, because that's supernatural interference. Just convince a human to do it the old fashioned way . . . money usually works." 

His eyes widened marginally in amusement before he said, "Well, aren't you just the most delightful little sociopath?"

"I'm not a - "

"Whatever you have to tell yourself to sleep at night . . . So that's a definite no on going in on this with me?" I paused. He was teasing me, but there was something else behind it, like he was testing me. Was he seeing how far he could push me to go in this little deal of ours, or was it something else? I needed to find the right answer for him, so I didn't jeopardize everything. 

"I wouldn't even if I could." Raising my hand to wiggle my fingers, I added, "Supernatural being here . . . can't kill him if you want him to stay dead, or he'll come back." He hid his surprise quickly, but I caught it and added, "And yeah, that means Elena is too. I told you. We're dopplegangers."

"That's an actual thing?"

I snorted. "Are vampires?" When his eyes narrowed in mock annoyance, I said, "I've got a book on them . . . us . . . dopplegangers . . . that you can read if you want. It doesn't really tell you very much, because we're pretty rare, so I don't know the why's or the how's, but it's better than nothing . . . if you want to study up on Elena, you know?"

He bit his bottom lip and looked like he was considering it before responding. "Why do I feel like this is another one of those things you want me to do, so you can tell me what you're really doing here without really telling me? I'll bite. How about you give me the cliff notes version?"

"Uh, well . . . we don't have any special gifts. I mean, we're human. We're not super fast or strong or anything, and we generally only come along once in a very long time, like there's 500 years between Katherine and Elena and I. Some witches think our blood has magical properties, which means when they do find out about us, the wrong kind of witch might want to use us as part of their spells. Mmm . . . what else? Oh, Elena and I are an anomaly in an already rare phenomenon. We're the only doppleganger twins I've ever heard or read about . . . Maybe that's why I only see her as my sister, not another doppleganger, but generally when two dopplegangers meet, one either intentionally or unintentionally tries to ruin the other one's life by systematically taking everything important to them."

It really looked like he was listening, and I wasn't expecting that. "Is that why you don't want to meet her? Do you think it'll just be like this massive cat fight?"

"No . . . I don't know. Maybe. Or maybe I just don't like the idea of having every second of my life revolve around her."

"Then why do you stay?"

"I don't want to let my parents down. It's the worst thing I could possibly do."

One of his eyebrows arched. "Worse than killing?"

"It'd feel like it. They're all I have. They're all I've ever had. I don't know how to explain it."

Damon decided to drop it for now and said, "So, if Elena and Katherine met?"

"I don't know if they'd actually take everything the other has, but they'd definitely think the other one was trying to ruin their lives."

"But what about you? You call her Aunt Kat, so you've obviously met her."

How did I answer that? It was strange that I held no malice towards Katherine, and she genuinely didn't seem to dislike me. It was another anomaly, one I couldn't explain. "I don't know. We get along. I don't know why we don't hate one another. We should."

"Your parents have any ideas on it?"

I shrugged. "If they do, they haven't told me. I'm kept out of the loop on a lot." I smiled and added, "Just not as much as you." 

Damon looked around and took a step back. "Well, I should get going. I need to make sure your twin doesn't get herself killed trying to 'save' my brother."

"Okay." I looked at the weapon in his hand and said, "Hope I helped."

He lifted the device in his hand, said, "Guess we'll see," and was gone in a flash.


	9. The Power of Love to Destroy

I was watching _Night of the Living Dead_ a few nights later when I heard a loud crash. It took me a few panicked breaths to realize I wasn't being attacked by zombies, and when I did, I immediately got up and went to the window. He'd really done a number on it this time. The entire upper section had been completely destroyed. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"We need to talk."

"I don't want to talk to you right now . . . try asking for my phone number the next time I see you and call me like a normal person." I turned to leave, so I could get a broom to clean up the mess, and another rock came whizzing through my window, this time through the bottom portion, and now that entire window was gone. Instead of looking down at him again, I stormed to the door and ran down the stairs. I burst out the door ready to yell at him, but the next thing I knew, he'd grabbed ahold of my arm and body slammed me onto the ground so hard that it knocked the wind out of me . . . Oh Shit. Blood. I could taste it in my mouth. Please tell me that's because I bit my tongue, and not because he did what I think he did. I was too busy thinking about what was wrong with me physically to really pay much attention to the fact that Damon had straddled me until he punched the ground next to my head to get my attention, leaving a small crater where his fist had smashed. "What are you doing here?"

I couldn't get enough air to talk, and I certainly didn't feel like saying much. All I got out was a winded, "Elena. "

"I don't believe you! Why are you here?"

"Save . . . her."

Getting down in my face, he coldly hissed, "Liar. Why is Isobel here?"

"Mom?" I looked around to see if I could see here anywhere. I guess when you're dying, you want your Mom there to make you feel better. It doesn't matter if she's a vampire or not. He gave my shoulders a little shake to make me look at him, and I choked on some blood before wheezing, "How . . . long?"

"I don't believe that you didn't know she was here."

"How . . . long?" I kicked at the ground, like my body thought that'd get me more air, but it didn't seem to matter. I still couldn't breathe.

"Why is she working with John Gilbert?"

"Dad?" 

I think if Damon was going to rip into my chest and pull out my heart, that would've been the moment. "Un-fucking-believable . . . you almost had me the other day with your whole - "

"Dad?"

Something in the way I asked it that time made him hesitate. I felt a tear roll down my cheek and coughed out, "How . . . long?" It was obvious to me now that the man he'd been telling me about a few days ago was my Dad. I just hadn't known it until now. 

Damon's eyebrows furrowed before he said, "Since a few days before the Miss Mystic Falls contest." 

My Dad had been here all that time and hadn't said a word to me? Whether I wanted him to or not, I think Damon saw the exact moment my heart broke. It took whatever fight I'd had to breathe right out of me. Did my Dad go to see my sister? I knew he saw her every so often, and played the part of being her uncle, so he'd always been in her life. "Elena?" 

"Yeah, he's staying at their house." 

No, that couldn't be right. I would've seen him . . . unless he didn't want me to see him and was timing his entrances and exits to times I wouldn't be looking, like during training or school? Those were times everyone else in that house would've been busy somewhere else, and he could've come to see me without anyone knowing I was here. Why hadn't he? Why had I been so bad at my job that I hadn't known he was there? Because he was better at his stealthiness than I was at spying apparently. He was going to be so disappointed in me. I looked away from Damon, and asked, "Mom?"

"A few days. She showed up and . . Look, it doesn't matter."

"Elena?" 

He didn't answer, so I looked up at him, and he decided to tell me the truth. "Isobel had a meeting with her yesterday. She said she'd start dropping bodies around town if Elena didn't go . . . If it helps, I think Elena hates her now. Isobel took Jeremy today to get the device, and Elena just couldn't let him die, so now Isobel has it . . . She'll probably stop by on her way out of town." I shut my eyes and turned my head away from him again before shaking it. If she was going to see me, it would've been when she first got here, because nobody would've known she was here, not when she was leaving and in a hurry to go after pissing them all off. She was here and gone, and I hadn't even known. "Hey . . . hey, Eve come on . . . I think I might've punctured your lung. You need - " I looked up at him and shook my head. I didn't want his blood.

He bit his wrist anyway, so I said, "No," and when he shoved it towards me, I brought my hands up to try and push it away until his wound healed up. "No." I really struggled to get more than that out, but finally whispered, "Cheat . . . ing."

His brow furrowed. "You think it's cheating?" I nodded, and he rolled his eyes before biting his wrist again, but this time when I tried to push his arm away, he used his free hand to pin my hands above my head. I still wouldn't open my mouth though. "Eve . . . Don't make this harder than it needs to be." When I still wouldn't give into him, he said, "I won't kill your Dad," and I glared at him over his wrist. We both knew that no matter what he said he would. He rolled his eyes. "Alright, I was going to make his death slow, but if you drink, I'll make it fast." I gave him a single stern shake of my head, and he sighed. "Then what do you want?"

I wanted him to say he wouldn't kill my Dad and mean it, but right now, I'd settle for him taking me to a damn hospital. "Hos . . . pit . . . a-" Faster than I could shut my mouth or even blink, he bit his wrist again and stuffed it in my mouth, but I refused to partake. If some blood dripped into my mouth, then so be it, but I wasn't going to actively drink his blood. 

"Eve . . . hard part's done. All you have to do is - "

I gave him the dirtiest look I good and tried to muffle out a, "No," around his wrist. All I got for my effort was a slightly amused look from him before he let my hands go and squeezed his wrist to make the stuff pour into my throat. I slammed my eyes closed at how disgusting it was and growled in annoyance. It wasn't more than a few seconds later that I felt my ribs starting to realign, which was about as painful as it sounds, but then I could suddenly breathe and took the deepest breath I could before shoving his wrist out of my face and trying to crawl out from under him. Once I was away from him, I just kept crawling. I didn't think I'd be able to stand yet. 

"Where are you going?"

"To scrub my mouth out and then finish my movie." He tried to help me up, but I shoved him off. "Leave me alone."

"Let me carry you up to - "

"You just want an excuse to get in my house . . . no."

"Wow . . . and I thought Elena was stubborn." I threw a glare over my shoulder at him, and he grinned. "Come on, we're still friends, right?"

Friends? No. We were never friends. "I've never had a friend, and I don't need one . . . people who care about you think they can do whatever they want to you, and that's how people get hurt."

He followed along side me as I crawled my way to the door and said, "Yeah, but you have to care about somebody, right? It's what humans do. You just can't help yourselves."

I reached for the handle and used it to support my weight before shaking my head. "I can. People you care about are the ones with the power to hurt you the most. The fewer of them I have in my life, the better." Pulling the door open, I muttered, "Good night, Damon," before pushing myself across the threshold and letting the door slam behind me without looking back.


	10. Can't Walk All Over Me

When I woke up early the next morning, I was a little annoyed. I'd planned to sleep in today. And then I figured out why I'd woken up at the crack of dawn. It was to the sound of hammers pounding, which really wasn't helping the vampire blood hangover I had. Stumbling out of my bedroom, I squinted into the morning light when I saw a form in front of me. He was a little blurry, but it was a man . . . just not a man I knew, and he was standing in my damn living room. Quietly grabbing the wooden bullet handgun in the drawer next to where I was standing, I aimed it at his back, roughly where his heart would be, but then thought occurred to me that he must be a human if he could get into the apartment, so I lowered my gun to aim at his leg. I wasn't removing my gun from him altogether. Just because he was human didn't mean he couldn't be dangerous. "Who the hell are you?"

He looked over his shoulder at me jovially, and the fact that I was pointing a gun in his direction didn't seem to make him waiver in his happiness one bit. "Sam Johnson . . . I'll have this window fixed up for you in a few minutes, and then I'll be out of your hair." My forehead crinkled in confusion, as I lowered my gun more, so that it was pointing at the floor a few feet behind him.

"How'd you get in here?"

"Someone had to fix this for ya, so it might as well be me."

That didn't really answer my question. I glanced at my front door. I knew that no matter how out of it I was last night, I'd locked it. He must've broken in here sometime this morning. How could I sleep through that? When I glanced at him again, I asked, "Who sent you?" It was obvious he'd been compelled, even more so when his back went rigid at the question.

"I was . . . I was just passing by and saw the broken window. Some one had to fix it for ya, so - "

I rolled my eyes and dropped the hand holding my gun to my side before flicking the safety on and heading into my kitchen. "Was it my Mom?" I didn't really expect an answer, because he wouldn't be able to remember, but after I'd gone to bed last night, I comforted myself with the thought that my Mom and Dad had known that when they made an appearance in town, they would ruffle some feathers, so if I knew nothing about their plan or them being here, it would be the safest thing for me. Not knowing anything was really what'd saved me last night. I bet they even saw what happened, like I bet they were watching me the way I was watching Elena without her knowing, and I bet they saw everything. I bet my Dad wanted to kill Damon right then and there, but my Mom held him back, because it'd screw up their plan. 

I glanced at the man, while I boiled the kettle for my tea, and he was just standing there blinking off into space. As I leaned back against the counter, I muttered, "Better hope you were a good person before she got her hands on you, or you are so done." I saw a bead of sweat drip down the side of his face and rolled my eyes again before changing the topic from a subject that was obviously causing him some distress. "Would you like a cup of coffee?"

A smile returned to his face as he looked back at me. "Well, if you're offering, I wouldn't say, 'no.'" 

A second later, he was back to fixing the window, like there was nothing wrong, so I turned and got what I needed out to make him some coffee. I didn't touch the stuff, but it was good to have in the house if my Mom ever decided to come visit. I needed to let my tea sit for a while after I added my vervain drops to it anyway, so I might as well stay busy somehow. Turning about 5 minutes later with his cup in hand, I noticed him packing up his tools and said, "Here's your coffee," but it's like he couldn't hear me.

Glancing at his watch, he said, "Well, it looks like I'm done here. That shouldn't give you any more trouble," before picking up his things and heading for the door. 

"Don't you want - "

I was cut off by the sound of my apartment door slamming. Either he was on a time schedule, or had been told to go as soon as he was done. I was tempted to follow him to see what my Mom had him do now that she was done with him, but decided against it. Some things are better left unknown. Turning to the sink, I went to dump his coffee down the drain when I heard a knock followed by a voice almost shouting, "I'd love some." I hesitated before looking at my newly fixed window. I wasn't ready to see Damon yet. 

He'd seen me at my worst last night. I didn't know if I wanted to see him ever again. He pouted. "Ah, come on . . . don't be like that." Grabbing my mugs and the gun off the kitchen counter, I sauntered over to the window and lifted it. After making sure it wouldn't fall in on top of me and really seemed to be fixed, I sat on my window seat and slid Damon the mug of coffee through the window, but made sure I did it without ever actually letting my fingers cross the invisible barrier that was keeping him out.

He went from crouching on my roof to sitting on it on the other side of the window from me and looking up at the frame. "I'm pretty good at this. I should get into fixing things more often."

I ducked my head to focus on my tea. "So you did this?"

He took a sip from his mug and muttered, "Yeah, what'd you think random strangers were just going to drop in uninvited and do it?"

"No, I thought - "

A look of understanding crossed his face before he said, "Your Mom?" I shrugged, and he muttered, "No, that bitch doesn't get credit for it." He paused a beat before asking, "Are you scared of me now?"

I didn't expect the question, and I think the look I gave him must've made it look like I thought he was a crazy person. "No . . . I'm mad at myself for walking out of this house unarmed."

He was quick to say, "Not that you could've done anything about it even if you had . . . hunter-in-training." 

I rolled my eyes. "My mistake was trusting you . . . I didn't realize I did until last night . . . Stupid."

"Yeah, it was . . . and so was thinking I couldn't find a way to get in there even if I'm not actually in there." 

He had a point. He could just compel anyone to come in here and do whatever he wanted. "I'm guessing this window being fixed has more to do with you proving that to me than actually doing it to fix anything . . . so now that you've made your point, do you mind getting off my roof?"

"You're mad at me. Just admit it, so we can get over this."

My eyes flicked in his direction. "Get over what? I already told you that I blamed myself for what happened. You're in the clear."

"Then why does it feel like you're giving me the cold shoulder?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because I woke up with a raging headache, some stranger wandering around my house, and another stranger sitting on my roof."

His eyes took on a contemplative look, while he thought, and then a look of understanding crossed his face. "You're not mad about me attacking you . . . You're mad I saved your life."

I lost control for the briefest of moments and turned to face him. "I told you no, Damon, and you gave me your blood anyway . . . You could've dropped me off at a hospital out of town - "

"You would've died by the time I got you to a hospital out of town."

"Well, then I would've died. It'd serve me right for being so stupid."

"You don't mean that. You don't really want to die."

He was right. I didn't, but it was about more than just that. "You took something from me by doing what you did."

"What, your choice?" He rolled his eyes and huffed out a sigh. "You were making the wrong one, so I made it for you."

My shoulders slumped. He didn't get it. I brushed my hair away from the side of my neck facing him and tilted my head, so he could see. "Notice anything missing?"

He didn't say anything, so I glanced at him, and it prompted his response. "Your scars? This is about you being mad that your scars are gone?" He looked a little bewildered. "If I ever mention adopting kids, remind me of this exact moment . . . It's the moment I realized why vampires make terrible parents . . . and so do vampire hunters. They really did a number on you, and if I can see it, that's saying something." I flopped back against the wall of the little alcove in a huff and crossed my arms over my chest. You could almost say it was a pout, and for some reason that set him off. "I mean, you've had access to vampire blood for like two years now, and your Mom never gave you any after your Dad brought you back from being a chew toy?" 

"What better way to be reminded not to do something stupid twice than to carry a permanent reminder of why I shouldn't? Now I don't have those reminders anymore. Not a single one all over my entire body. They're just gone. You wouldn't go and burn Stefan's journals would you? It's the same thing. Those scars were like a journal of my exploits, but now it's like they never existed . . . like the things that gave them to me never happened." Rambling to myself, and trying to put a positive spin on it, I added, "Although, the distinct absence of having those marks might be a good reminder of why I shouldn't trust you."

Ignoring me, Damon asked, "Why are you here, Eve?"

It was most earnest way that he'd asked me that. I didn't know if I should use it to teach him a lesson on how being genuine would get him further than anger and manipulation, or keep holding onto all of my secrets. My eyes scanned his face, while I debated with myself, and finally, I said, "I'm here to die, Damon . . . in Elena's place."

He tried to read my expression and then cracked a smile. "That's your family's plan to protect her? Nah, I'm not buying it. They wouldn't have taught you to fight if they were just raising you to -"

"I'm serious. Don't get attached to me. I won't get attached to you. It'll just make it harder to do what I have to do." 

"So, you're some kind of - "

"Decoy. Sacrificial lamb . . . whatever you want to call it. Elena's the one that needs to live. A lot of people will die if it's her when the time comes." That's why it had to be me . . . I didn't know why it wasn't the other way around, but it wasn't . . . My Mom found out when she was pregnant. She went to a psychic as something of a joke, and the psychic turned out to be an actual witch. Her reaction to my Mom was not exactly good, so then my Mom being all hormonal and upset told my Dad, and he found another witch in another town, and they went to her . . . same thing . . . over and over again with witches all over this state. 

"You sound like you know when that is." 

He looked confused. I rolled my eyes. Didn't he listen to anything I said? "I don't know the date, but I know what has to happen leading up to it, and you will too. It won't be hard to figure it out when the time comes."

"That's why you resent Elena?" I hesitated, but then gave him a small nod. "So . . . my plan to trade you to get the device back and your Dad out of town . . . I can't tell if that would work or not."

"Why because you don't think they care about me? They do. They love me, but I'm also instrumental for their plan, so if you doubt the caring part, you could always count on that . . . their scheming. They'd still need me to be alive to come back to Mystic Falls closer to the time when I'm needed."

"Why would you tell me that? I just told you I was reconsidering kidnapping you."

I shrugged. "I guess maybe . . . I miss them. I'm running out of time, and if they aren't going to voluntarily see me in what time I have left, because they're busy doing their own thing, then drastic times and all that . . . but then I think about how disappointed they'd be if I screwed up already, and that's what's keeping me on this side of that window and my gun in my lap for anyone else you might compel into my apartment."

He smirked. "You knew what I was planning."

I shrugged a shoulder. "I told you. I learned my lesson about trusting you last night."

"Oh come on, you trust me a little, right? You wouldn't have told me all that if you didn't."

"I have been telling you the same thing since we met. I just did it less cryptically this time. You're the one I'm counting on to make sure I'm where I need to be when I need to be there to die . . . so . . . I guess I'm trusting you to hold up your end of the bargain, but that's all I'm trusting you to do."

"Elena is not going to like this."

I felt my heartbeat quicken. "That's why she isn't going to find out."

"You expect me to keep the fact that she has a sister from her?"

"You already have been."

He waved me off and muttered, "Yeah, but that's when I wasn't sure if I was going to have to kill you, but now . . . "

"Now what? Nothing's changed. You still want to protect her, and I am the best way to do that, but only if you keep me a secret."

He glanced at me and reluctantly nodded. It left me less than reassured, as did the next words out of his mouth. "Why are are you doing this? Why not take off? And don't tell me it's because you don't want to disappoint your parents."

"Did you miss the part where I said a lot of people would die if I didn't?"

"So? Why is that your problem? You obviously don't care if people die, or you wouldn't have handed over that woman at the farmhouse . . . and you wouldn't have been helping me plan a way to kill your Dad before you knew I was talking about your Dad."

He must really believe I hadn't known my parents were here, and even though I'd thought that he must've figured that out during our altercation last night, the reality of it threw me off. He'd seen me at my worst, and that kind of honesty was impossible to hide. I was a sad little girl that was truly alone in this world, and in my moment of death, I was more upset by the fact that I'd felt abandoned by my parents than actually dying. In truth, I'd been abandoned by them a long time ago, but it took last night for me to really feel it, and it wasn't a truth I ever wanted anyone to see, especially not a vampire that would find ways to use it against me. 

I bent my knee and rested my forehead on it, and for a moment, it felt like I was hiding from him. I hated that, so I gave him his answer. "Sure, it'd be nice if everything was in black and white, but that's not reality. Everything is done in shades of gray." I turned my head to look at him and rested my temple on my knee, while I added, "One person dying so that thousands more don't is the better choice. It's the lightest shade of gray, and that's all any of us, including vampires, can hope to do, make sure that the sum total of our lives is the lightest shade of gray possible . . . Like let's say you're a vampire that only ever drinks from blood bags. There are practical reasons for doing it, like it helps you keep a lower profile, but if that was the only reason you were using blood bags, you could just as easily drink, heal, and compel your victims to forget. There'd be no trace of you in that instance, because the victim wouldn't have any bites or remember it at all . . . the lighter shade of gray is blood bags, but even that's gray, because by drinking those, the vampire could be taking blood from a person at the hospital that needs it to survive, which could lead to that person dying . . . Some people might see that as wrong, but then vampires have to have blood to survive. They'd desiccate if they didn't have it, and that's wrong too. They shouldn't suffer like that because of what they are."

There was an awkward silence that followed. He was watching me, and I didn't know if he was expecting me to say more, or what was going on in that head of his before he cleared his throat and threw a smirk in my direction. "And then there are vampires like your Mom who only drink from the tap."

"You mean vampires like you."

"Hey, I've been good lately. My point is you let your Mom get away with it."

I gave him a look that said the why of that should be obvious. "Uh, yeah. She's my Mom." Looking away from him again, I said, "And she has her own lighter shade of gray even if it's darker than a vampire that only uses blood bags. She just feeds on bad people."

"Sure, and compels good people to be her pets."

My brow furrowed in confusion. "What?"

"Yeah, she had two with her when she was here."

"By pets you mean - "

"Sex slaves. Feed bags. Take your pick. They were both."

"Oh." I sat back against the wall and thought about what I knew about my Mom and what I knew about Damon. "I don't believe you."

I glanced at him, and he smirked, while producing his phone. Holding it up, so I could see a picture of a girl in lingerie with bite marks all over her, he said, "I didn't give her those bites, but I did get to have some fun with her myself." 

My eyes flicked from the picture to him. "How do I know she isn't just one of your - " 

His thumb moved, and he pushed the audio recording app on his phone. I heard my Mom's voice come through. "And it's just one blast from the past after another. No, no, no . . . Degage Cherie." Damon hit pause and said, "That was her name . . . Cherie, or at least it's what Isobel decided to call her. My guess is that now that you're out of the house, Mommy Dearest is having some fun."

My eyes narrowed. "What's on the rest of that recording?"

His smirk returned. "Way to deflect away from the issue . . . I'm - "

"I'm not deflecting. You're deflecting. Why'd you stop it there? Why'd you record anything in the first place? Oh let me guess . . . you thought you could get Mom to say something that you could play for me, and when I heard it, my feelings would be hurt, so you could use me against her." My jaw set, and my eyes met his in an icy fury, before I said, "Well, you don't know me, Damon Salvatore. There is nothing my Mom could say or do that would make me turn against her. If she said something bad about me, then I know she had a reason, most likely to hide a weakness. If she had 'pets,' then it was to make you think she's totally gone, that she's flipped her switch and doesn't give a damn, but I know the truth. My Mom loves me, and she loves Elena. You had something she wanted, and she didn't want her daughters to be used to keep her from getting it."

Almost like he was on the precipice of getting something he wanted, Damon leaned forward and asked, "And why would she want the Jonathan Gilbert device?"

I retreated from my glare and got up to go pour myself some more tea before saying, "Why do you think she'd want it?"

"If it was to keep it from being used, she could've left it with me, and it wouldn't have been used. I think she gave it to your Dad."

Shaking my head, while I dumped four teaspoons of sugar into my tea, I said, "And you're probably right." Stirring my tea and adding more vervain, I thought about how much he needed to know. "My Mom hates vampires." Carrying my tea back to the window, I added, "She was fascinated with them before she met you, but then she became one, and now she hates them. She hates what she is . . . she hates everything about it, but she did it for me . . . and Elena . . . to get places and find out information from the right kinds of people that being a human wouldn't allow her to access." Setting my tea on the windowsill, I put my weight on my hands, while leaning forward on the windowsill, ever mindful of staying on this side of that invisible barrier between us. "What do you think she'd want to do if one of her daughters was dating a vampire?"

Looking up at me, he blinked, like he was snapping himself out of whatever he was thinking. "She'd want him dead . . . and anyone that stood in her way, i.e. me."

"Mhmm. And what if both her daughters lived in a town infested with vampires?"

"She'd want them all dead."

I brought my knees onto the window seat, leaned on my elbows and crossed my arms in front of me, as I lowered my height down to his. "You might want to leave town for a few days."

The corner of his mouth turned up into a slight smile. "I already handled it."

"And how did you do that?"

"I had a witch get rid of its power source."

I drummed my fingers on the windowsill before saying, "Let me guess . . . Elena's friend, Bonnie? How's her grandmother after you had her help opening the tomb?"

"How - "

"I told you I've been here for a while." Arching my eyebrow, I sarcastically added, "There's nothing whatsoever that could go wrong with using Bonnie for your spell . . . lazy, that's what you were. You just used the closest witch at hand, and it's going to bite you in the ass, Damon."

"She promised Elena - "

"She's barely spoken to Elena since her grandmother's funeral, and you really think they mended enough bridges for her to help _you_?"

"You really are creepy, you know that?" I smiled, and he asked, "Why are you warning me?" 

It was another rare instance of him being genuine. It was nice to see. I absentmindedly traced my finger around the edge of my mug. "I need you for my plan to work."

"I don't believe you." My face dropped, and I was going to ask why, but he beat me to it. "I think you need a friend, and I'm the closest thing you've got to having one." 

"Are you talking about me or you? Because, I'm good on the friends front, thanks." 

Whatever he was going to say in response, I stopped him by dipping my finger into my tea and flicking in his direction. He flinched and hissed when a few of the drops landed on his face. "Ah, you crazy - " I flicked him again, and his arms flew up to cover his head. "Stop it, Eve!" I did it one more time, and when he rolled away from me, like he was going to get up, I quickly grabbed my stake that was attached to the underside of my window seat, reached out of the window, and stabbed him in the thigh with it before rapidly pulling myself back inside.

His response was immediate as he flung the stake away from him and turned on his knees to lunge at the window with a growl, fangs bared and black veins protruding under his eyes. His hands hit the side of my house above the window with such force that dust from the plaster snowed down on top of my hair, but I didn't flinch. I stayed on my knees looking up at him. He was only a few inches away from my face, but they were inches he couldn't cross no matter how much he wanted. Looking him in the eye, unafraid, I watched as his enraged breathing began to calm, and his black veins started to recede. I think that's the moment that I knew I was in trouble, because that's the moment I realized that even though I knew he could kill me, I was still tempted to reach through the window, pat him on the chest, and offer him some comfort . . . maybe an apology. I refrained, because I didn't want a friend, as my actions just proved, but maybe I'd wanted one more than I'd thought if I felt immediate remorse for hurting him. "Now we're okay . . . we're even after last night." 

He didn't say anything at first, choosing to watch me instead, but he was still intense . . . just maybe not angry. "You think that makes us even?"

I guess stabbing him in the leg wasn't anywhere close to what he did to me, but it proved my point. "Well, I'm okay now, and you've already healed, so we're even on that front. I just can't have you thinking you can walk all over me." When he didn't say anything, I quickly added, "You should't be surprised. I told you I'm - "

"Sneaky." I nodded, and he relaxed, while leaning closer. Smiling, he said, "I remember." Giving me a playful look, he added, "Lucky for you, I think I like you, Eve," and I frowned.

"Well, stop it."

"Be honest. You were planning that since you saw me at your window." 

I released a breath and backed away from him before sitting on my window seat. "Mmm . . . I thought you'd expect it with the first cup of tea."

"I did."

"So, I waited." When I glanced at him, he looked . . . "Stop looking at me like that."

"Like what?"

"Like you're proud of me." He chuckled, and I said, "My Dad will never believe you're going to kill me if he sees that."

Waving that off, he looked away from me. "You've got my blood in your system. If I snap your neck, you'll come back. No matter what he thinks he sees, he'll know there's nothing stopping me from doing that, and I'm guessing for you to save Elena, you still need to be human."

"No matter what you do, I'm not coming out of here in the next 12 hours that your blood will be in my system."

When he glanced in my direction, he pumped his fist off the outside of my windowsill before getting to his feet. "I'm re-evaluating my options anyway." 

"Besides, he'd just use the device to get you away from me."

His eyebrows rose. "That's if it works, and were you planning on letting me know that before I took you to him, or not?"

"Just thought of it, actually. Not everything I do is calculating. You should've thought of it before now anyway." 

With a smirk, he responded, "Who says I didn't? Like _I_ said, I'm re-evaluating my options. You've learned everything you know from him, which makes him more unpredictable than I thought . . . Well, I've got a parade to attend." Hopping down off my roof, he threw an obligatory, "I'll be seeing you Eve," up to me, and then he was gone.


	11. On the Same Page

That night was relatively uneventful until sometime around 9. I heard sirens and went to my window to see where they went. There were flames lapping up over the rooftops of some of the buildings in the middle of town. Maybe it was an electrical short because of all the lights for Founder's Day . . . or maybe it was something else. I saw a cop car fly down my road on it's way to the main road out of town, like they were on their way to the scene of another mishap. 

Maybe . . . maybe my Dad did it. Maybe he used the device. I still didn't know what it did, but it would surely cause mayhem on a large scale. Well, if he had used it, then it didn't seem to impact on humans at all. I was fine. I hadn't heard or felt anything strange. I did find myself wondering if Damon made it out. I'd told him to go, so it was his own fault if he hadn't listened, but then I wondered if my Dad would've used it at all if Damon hadn't still been here. From everything that Damon had said about my Dad, I could only assume that my Dad saw Damon as his main adversary in this town, and that'd mean that he'd want to make sure that Damon was dead above all the other vampires.

If Damon was gone, did that mean Stefan was too? I glanced in the direction of Elena's house. She'd be devastated, but she'd live. She certainly wouldn't want to meet a sister at this trying time in her life, especially if that daughter had been raised by the two parents that'd just rolled into town and destroyed her life. I sighed. I bet they thought that she'd need someone to lean on if Stefan was really gone, but I didn't know if I could be that person. 

Once again, my parents had screwed up any chance of an authentic meet cute with her, or maybe I was still just finding reasons to keep putting it off. If I didn't have Stefan and Damon around to help me help keep her safe, then it'd make my job that much harder. I bet my parents didn't even bother to think about that. Their blind hatred for vampires was screwing things up, and I'd been getting somewhere with Damon. I knew I had been. 

I heard a creak behind me and turned, handgun raised. I'd kept it on me all day just in case Damon changed his mind and sent someone in here after me. I saw her in the shadows. I didn't even need to turn the lights on to know who it was. Hands raised and still walking with an air of confidence, I'd know that outline anywhere. "Aunt Kat?"

"The one and only, Little Niece."

I lowered my gun. "How'd you get in here?"

"What, no 'long time, no see,' or 'how are you,' or oh, I don't know, 'why aren't you dead?'"

"Why would you be dead? Did something happen? Did he find you?"

She rolled her eyes. "No . . . just John being John . . . Oh, you didn't know. He used the Gilbert device tonight. Sure, I told he and your Mom to clear the town for me, so I wouldn't have to deal with any of those tomb vampires out for revenge, but some fair warning would've been nice. Now I have a splitting headache."

She walked up to stand next to me and glanced out the window at Elena's house. "Are you here to help me?"

Maybe my parents had planned for me to have some back up after they killed my only other ally and his brother. She looked at me over my shoulder. "Help you do what exactly? From what I can tell, you're not doing much of anything."

My mouth drew into a straight line as I walked away from her. A - she wasn't one of my parents. B - nobody was going to tell me what to do when it came to me planning my own demise. "Do you want coffee?"

"I'd love some." She said it with a lilt to her voice that made it seem like she was mocking me. I stopped to look at her over my shoulder, and she smiled. Had she listened in on my conversation with Damon this morning? If she had, it wouldn't be wise to call her out on it, especially if she was goading me into it. Deciding to ignore it, I made my way into the kitchen. She followed me, and sat at the table, while I got the coffee maker going. 

"So, you never said how you got in here. Did Mom make an exception for you, or are there some security issues that I need to handle?"

"Oh, was your landlord's location supposed to be a secret?" 

I kept my back to her and rolled my eyes. "By the way you're gloating and not answering my question, I take it she's dead."

"I tossed her over the railing of a cruise ship off of Barbados last week." 

I put Katherine's mug under the coffee maker, so it'd be ready when the coffee was done and then turned, so I could lean back against the counter. "You could've just compelled her to let you in from there."

With a pout, Katherine said, "Not with the vervain Isobel's had her ingesting, and then how would I be able to see my niece?"

"Easy. You could knock. She legally gave me permission to let anyone I want inside. You wanted me to be left unprotected." My thoughts returned to Damon and mine's conversation this morning. He could've gotten me at any point, especially after I stabbed him. It was just the power of believing he wasn't invited in that had kept him out. Or was it? I didn't know if they knew when that barrier was down without testing it out first.

"No, I wanted you to move in with your sister the way you were supposed to move in with her. How are you supposed to keep her safe from all the way over here?" 

"I have my plan. You have yours." I always knew she wanted to get involved in all of this, so she could control the outcome. I was just never sure if her outcome coincided with mine. She'd been on the run for over 500 years, and she was looking for a way to benefit her, so she could stop running. I didn't know if that meant that she'd swoop in at the last second to screw it all up or would ultimately help. I'd hoped for my Mom's sake that it was the latter, because Katherine meant the world to her, but with the way Katherine was acting now, I suspected the former. The only one probably better at a long con than my parents was Katherine.

She smirked. "I think your plan just went up in smoke."

I glanced towards the window and remembered the fire. I took it that Damon had apparently been in the blaze. I didn't say that though. Instead, I turned to make sure her coffee was almost done. "So, I'll start again. You seem to be walking around this town just fine. If you can, then I can. I'll still be ready without Elena ever knowing the difference."

When I turned to take her coffee to her, she was standing right behind me, but I didn't flinch. I merely smiled and handed her the mug. It was never good to let them see that they were getting to you. "You are so like your father. Why are you making this difficult?"

"Honestly?"

"I'd like that . . . just like old times. You tell me your problems, and I advise."

She made our relationship sound warmer than it really was. Problems, like problems with knowing how to get out of a vampire biting your neck, were the types of problems we discussed, and once my qualms with dying for Elena. She'd thought it was horrible and seemed to push me not to do it, which most people would think was the right thing to say, but she was always working an angle, and it's what made me suspect that she'd only ever been using my Mom. What I really wanted to say was that I honestly thought that me moving into Elena's house would make it obvious there were two of us, which would make it near on in impossible to do what needed to be done, and that's what I suspected she wanted, which is why she'd helped convince my Mom and Dad what should be done by harping on the idea of sisterly bonding time being important . . . but I was smart enough to know not to say any of that. Playing naive is one of the best defenses you can have in certain situations. Something my Dad taught me. This seemed to be on of those situations. "Okay, well then honestly, I'm really quite upset that my parents were in town and never came to see me. It's not like anyone is watching me. So, why haven't they visited?"

Her posture relaxed, while she wrapped an arm around her mid-section and drank from her mug. With a charming smile, she said, "Mmm . . . I don't know. It seems to me that you weren't entirely unwatched. A certain Salvatore springs to mind."

My mouth twitched into a contemplative frown. "Damon? You think my parents didn't come see me because of Damon."

"Just couldn't stay away from him, could you? Don't get me wrong. I understand the appeal. He is - "

"An asset. If Elena and Stefan are at the center of Elena's circle and are the ones who know everything going on with her, then he's just outside it. I'm just using him, and it's not like he was here all the time. Why couldn't they have come over when he wasn't here?"

She arched an eyebrow. "Don't underestimate him. Things tend to take a turn when people do."

"So I've noticed."

"What happened?"

"Nothing. We just had a fight, and - "

"Hm." 

She turned away from me, and I went to follow her. "What?"

"It's nothing. Just . . . People don't fight with people they don't care about, Eve, and I thought you had a rule about caring."

"I fight with vampires all the time. They die. I don't care."

"That's not the kind of fight we're talking about here though, is it?"

"I don't know. We both got a little bloody."

"And yet, I can't help but notice that you're still standing. Just be careful. That's all I'm saying."

Uh huh, and warning me off of her property. Well, she didn't have to worry, because he and I weren't friends. We were business associates. "So, I take it he's still alive."

Her eyebrows rose as she tipped back her mug, and then she smiled. "I honestly don't know, but given how well I know him, I'd say he found a way to survive." She turned to put her mug on the table and said, "As annoying as that is."

"And Stefan?"

Her body stiffened, and she shook her head before turning around to face me. "Well, he is the better man, so if the cockroach survived, I'm sure he did too. Still, I think I'm going have a word with John about it when I leave here."

It didn't take a mindreader to know that she was supremely upset with Stefan being put at risk in Dad's little operation tonight, so she might as well use that as her big grand entrance into town. "Just don't kill him."

"I'm not finished with him yet, so you have nothing to worry about, but that's not to say, I'm letting him off lightly either. You understand." 

I guess I did? If someone almost killed my parents, I'd be hard pressed not to kill them. I'd certainly make them regret doing it anyway. "Yeah . . . So, I suppose you'd understand if I didn't take it very well if you go too far." 

Stepping into my space and backing me up towards the counter with a smile, Katherine said, "Was that a threat, Little Niece?"

I shook my head without taking my eyes from hers. "No, I was merely empathizing for both of us, since I know you can't . . . Us being on the same page is what makes us so close."

She appraised me a few moments. "Your parents don't have a clue how clever their daughter really is, do they?"

I gave her a half-hearted smile before saying, "Well, I learned from the best." 

"And as the best, I have to know you're going to move in with Elena . . . We wouldn't want anything to happen to either of you. It's better if you're together."

"I'll move in with her when the time is right." Why tell her I wasn't ever going to do that to her face? I wasn't an idiot. Or maybe I was. I knew she was going to do something I wouldn't like a second too late and was too slow to stop her from plunging something sharp into my side.

I looked down at my side and then back up to her face. "Couldn't have used something of yours? It had to be one of my stakes?"

She shoved it in a little further and then let me fall to the floor before saying, "I know you learn better when you do it the hard way . . . So, now you're going to find out what can happen if you don't do what I say. I'm going to talk to your Father, and anything that happens is on you, because you have no way to get there in time to stop me. This all could have been avoided if you just lived with her, but no. You had to go off script. Don't make me have to tell you twice, Little Niece."

She started to walk away, and I muttered, "I'm the same height as you." 

It made her laugh. "Not when we met you weren't, but even then I knew you'd be a looker."

She was almost to the door, and I said, "Hey, Aunt Kat?"

"Hm, Dear Niece?"

"I still don't hate you, and I never will. I'll never love you either . . . You'll always make me feel apathy. As soon as you walk out that door, I'll forget all about you, just like all the other times you've left, and I'll only remember you when you come back." It was the most spiteful thing I could think to say to her. She loved to be loved, but she loved to be hated just as much, because either way she was the center of attention. She sent me a glare, and I lowered my head to the ground tiredly, as if I couldn't care less about her leaving. "Just so you know . . . until next time, I guess."

As soon as she was gone, I pulled the stake out of my side and tried to belly-crawl my way to my window. I didn't make it to the window before I had to take a break. Looking back, I saw a trail of blood following me. She must've hit something pretty vital . . . and yet she was sure I'd live to learn her 'lesson'. I wondered if she knew about the vampire blood . . . Maybe, or maybe not. Maybe she was just trying to teach me a lesson and was sure that I'd be fine. Maybe she knew exactly how long it'd been since I'd had Damon's blood, and maybe she'd done something that would still kill me, but not until it was out of my system . . . maybe she was trying to turn me into a vampire . . . No, she would've just snapped my neck if she wanted that, wouldn't she? It wouldn't serve anyone's purpose for me to be a vampire, would it? I didn't know. At this point, I didn't care. I guess it depended on what her plan was, and I was done wasting time thinking about her. After two nights back-to-back of almost dying, I think I was just done.


	12. Everyone Needs Help Every Now and Then

"Eve!" My eyelids fluttered, but they were too heavy to lift.

"Hm?"

"I could smell the blood all the way over at Elena's. I followed it here."

"Sorry." I just wanted to go back to sleep.

"You got somebody in there you're carving up, or can you let me in?"

"Kay."

"I can come in?"

"Everyone can."

That wasn't a proper invitation, but he still opened the window, or somebody did. I heard feet hit the ground. They were walking closer. Should I try to get away? What was happening? "Eve?" 

"Hm?" I felt myself being rolled over onto my back. "What happened?" 

I was too cold and grumpy to play along. "Tired."

"No, don't go back to sleep. I need you to tell me what happened?"

"Stake."

"Yeah, I can see that. You didn't just fall on it. Who did this?"

"Katherine."

The hands that were trying to keep my head from lolling to the side stopped moving. "What?"

"Don't make me," I took a breath and mumbled the rest, "say everything twice."

"Katherine was here?"

"Hm."

"Where'd she go?" 

I just wanted to go back to sleep. I started to drift off, but someone shook me pretty hard to wake me back up. My eyes opened marginally. "Damon?" 

"Where'd she go? Where's Katherine?"

My forehead crinkled in concentration. I knew the answer to this. Apparently, Damon wasn't in the mood to wait, because the next thing I knew, I had something shoved in my mouth. In that moment, I knew it was his wrist and tried to turn my head away. "No!"

"You can be pissed about it later. Right now, I need answers. Where is she?!"

As soon as his wrist left my mouth, I whined and rolled away from him, forgetting all about what he'd just done. I felt just as tired and cranky as I had a minute ago. "Stop being mean to me. Why are you shouting?"

He rolled me onto my back again and gently turned my face towards him. "Hey . . . Hey, look at me." I opened my eyes drowsily, and he said, "I'm not being mean, but I need to know where she is."

"Where who is?" In frustration, he steeled his features, like he was trying to keep himself from yelling or going all vampire on me. In the moment it took him to do that, I said, "You're covered in blood."

"Yeah, thanks. It's yours, and you've got way too much vervain in your system, so if we could hurry this along, it'd be a huge fucking help. Where is Katherine?"

"Oh. Um . . . shit!" I tried to sit up, but felt a hand on my shoulder push me back down.

"I'll deal with it. You need to stay here. Where'd she go?"

"She's going after my Dad . . . at Elena's. Go."

He looked at my window and then down at me. "But I was just at Elena's. She wasn't - "

"You need to go back." I pushed on his chest and tried to muster my strength while saying, "Go, help him!"

It seemed like a conundrum for him. "She's just going after your Dad?" I threw him a dirty look and tried to sit up again. "What? He tried to burn me alive not even an hour ago, and now you want me to save him?!"

Grasping his shirt to get his attention and trying to seem more intimidating than I must've looked, I gritted out, "Even if she's only going after him right now, if she gains access to that house, Elena will be in trouble too. Maybe not tonight, but sometime . . . Go!"

"But what if she comes back here?" 

My face scrunched up in confusion. "I don't fucking care, and neither should you . . . I'll deal with her if she comes back. Now go!" And just like that, he was gone. My back hit the floor in a squish, and I made a face. Reaching down to feel my shirt, I groaned in disgust. It felt soggy and gross, like it was soaked through. Looking down at my chest, that's the way it looked too. "Well, these clothes are ruined." I spun on my back, so I could get a better look at the rest of the room and sighed. I guess I was lucky that this place had hardwood floors. Carpet would've been a nightmare to clean. It was something that would have to wait until tomorrow. I didn't feel like doing it tonight. I didn't feel like doing anything tonight, so I rolled over onto my side and curled up in a ball before falling back to sleep.

"Eve!"

My brow furrowed in annoyance. "What?" I didn't know how long he'd been trying to wake me up, but maybe it was a while? Who knew with him? He seemed to have no patience. One second I was resting comfortably on the floor and the next I was floating. I grumpily opened my eyes and surveyed what was happening before resting my head on Damon's shoulder and closing my eyes again. "Where are are we going?"

"Well, you are going to take a shower, and I am going to get all your stuff and find a way to burn this house down. I'm not cleaning up that mess, and I am not staying here with it smelling like this, so really there's only one thing that can be done about it."

I nodded once. "Hm. Burn the house down." I liked the sound of that. 

Snorting, he said, "I'm glad you see things my way." He flicked on the light of a room before shouldering his way through the doorway and setting me on the edge of the bathtub. I slumped against the wall when he let me go. When I opened my eyes, he was crouching down in front of me. "You fell asleep again after I left. I thought you were supposed to handle things if she came back."

"Why am I so tired?"

"My blood can heal you, but it won't do much about the blood you lost except maybe help your body make more a little faster, but that still takes time." 

I bit my lower lip and nodded in understanding before I asked, "Did you find her?"

"Yes and no. I may have bumped into her before I knew who she was. She was gone by the time I went back."

I gave him a drunken smile. "How was it seeing her after all this time?"

"Would've been entirely different if I'd know it was her. I thought she was Elena."

"And then you smelled the blood and left?"

He swallowed and shook his head. "I was . . . Well, something happened, and I was on my way over here to talk to you about it. I got across the street, and that's when I smelled the blood."

I didn't know if he still wanted to talk about it anymore based on his reaction. I guess it was time to ask what I needed to know. "And Dad?"

Damon rolled his eyes and looked towards the bathroom door. "He's alive."

"But it's bad?" 

"Look, I'm sure he'll be fine. She just - " He cut himself off and looked at me. "Take your shower. I'll get your stuff, and then I'll take you to see him. He should be at the hospital and stable by the time we're done."

The fear gripping my chest faded. "You called an ambulance?"

"Elena did."

My gaze flicked to the ground. "If she's going to be at the hospital, I shouldn't - "

"He's your Dad. Come on. I'll get you in and out without anyone noticing. That won't happen if you go in looking like that." 

I looked down at my clothes and nodded, so Damon stood and offered me his hand. When I got to my feet, I was still unsteady, and he paused. "Did you need any help, or - " My glare cut him off, and he smirked. "Just checking."

"I'll be fine . . . Go wash my blood off of you in the sink in the kitchen, and have fun snooping." He turned to go, but I stopped him. "Hey Damon?" He turned in the doorway, and I said, "She tracked my landlord down to a cruise near Barbados and killed her a week ago." 

"Why would she - "

"Did you know you could've come in here at any time?" He grinned, turned around, and closed the door behind him without an answer. It had the desired effect. I didn't know, but I suspected that he hadn't known, or I would've been dead this morning after I stabbed him, and he wouldn't have asked if he could come in when I was bleeding out on the floor a little while ago. 

I tried to get into the shower, wash as thoroughly as possible, and get out without falling over. I succeeded with not falling down, but struggled for anything I did to be fast. When I was done, I realized I hadn't brought in a change of clothes and settled for wrapping a towel around me before stumbling down the hall to my room. When I rounded the corner, I saw him rifling through my drawers. Without paying him any attention, I carefully sat on the side of my bed and flopped back, enjoying the feeling of not having to stand anymore. "Find anything interesting?" 

"I like these." He held up a matching bra and panty set. I rolled my eyes. 

"Give me the underwear and toss the bra in the bag. I don't feel like being uncomfortable." He tossed the undies at my head and threw the bra in the duffle bag at his feet before just grabbing everything else in that drawer and throwing it in the bag. He obviously hadn't been digging as much as he'd wanted me to think. There were nicer things in there than what he'd originally found. "I need a t-shirt . . . and a sweatshirt . . . and jeans." 

He threw me a look over his shoulder and said, "Anything else, Miss?"

Ignoring his annoyance, I smiled. "Socks . . . and shoes if it wouldn't inconvenience you too much, Kind Sir."

"I find all of this inconvenient." He grabbed a black t-shirt and a gray zip-up hoodie from my bag and tossed them at me before pulling open a couple of drawers until he found a pair of jeans. 

I made sure I got the jeans from him first before saying, "Then leave, and I'll clean the blood up in the morning. No packing or moving necessary."

"And if Katherine comes back?"

"Then she comes back. She honestly doesn't scare me."

He paused to look at me and then sat on the foot of my bed near my head. "She should. If I hadn't been in the neighborhood, you would be dead, but I don't think she wanted you dead, or she would've made sure the job was done before she left. Why did she go after you?"

"She said it's because I should be living with Elena, and to teach me a lesson, she stabbed me and went over to Elena's to show me how easy it would be for someone to attack Elena without me being able to do anything about it, but I don't buy that's her real reason for wanting me to live there." I looked up at him and asked, "Do you?"

"Not for a second. If she wants you to do something, it's the opposite of what you should be doing."

"Yeah, that's what I thought."

"I thought you two got along."

"We do. Even when she was stabbing me, we were getting along . . . Well, mostly. I might've threatened her, but I covered it pretty well. She said my parents had no idea how clever their daughter really was . . . I don't think she was talking about the threat."

"What do you think she meant?"

"She doesn't like my plan. I think that secretly it's in direct opposition to hers."

Leaning over me, he said, "That's a problem."

"I know. All she has to do is blow my cover, and it all goes sideways . . . I think that's why she wants me to live with Elena. I think she knows that if people know about there being two of us, it makes both Elena and I targets instead of just one of us. Katherine convinced my Mom and Dad that I should do the whole sisterly-bonding thing with Elena while I was here, but once I got here, I could do this however I wanted, and I think that's what's got her so . . . homicidal." 

"I need to know what you're planning, Eve. It can't just be that you're going to take Elena's place at the right time."

"Sounds too simple, huh?" He bit the inside of his cheek in thought and nodded. "Well, it's not easy. Did you know I've never been to school a day in my life because my parents didn't want records of me existing out there? I've never lived in one place for more than a month or two at a time. I don't exist. I'm a ghost, and I'm just continuing that now by being here and only letting you know. What came for Katherine 500 years ago, the thing that made her choose to become a vampire and that's kept her on the run all these years will be coming after Elena."

"What is It?"

"I can't tell you yet. I don't want you to go looking for it. You'll draw its attention, and it is always looking."

"You know I'm not going to leave it alone until I find out what it is, right?"

"Mm. Took you long enough to take it seriously." He smirked, and I said, "Just so you know, I won't lie to you if you guess right, but you'll never guess it." 

He got a wicked gleam in his eyes. "Sounds like a challenge."

Maybe it was. It was a lot to deal with on my own, and if tonight proved anything, it was that I needed help.


	13. I'd Rather Have Sticks and Stones

After some convincing, I got Damon to bring my car with us to the hospital. The only thing was, that he insisted on driving. I was still struggling to stay upright, so maybe he was right.

Getting into the hospital was easy enough, but navigating the halls on the way to my Dad's room was a little more difficult, because there seemed to be people around every corner who would know who Elena was, so it took more stealth. We were almost to my Dad's room, and I started to turn the corner, but was promptly pulled back and pushed against the wall, so he could hold me up when my legs started to give out at the abrupt change of direction. This wasn't any different than a few of the other times that he'd done that, but we were so close to our destination, it was a little more annoying. I might've been frustrated, but when I looked up at him, I couldn't help but smile. "You're loving this, aren't you?"

"Are you kidding? Things in this town are way too serious. I haven't had this much fun in weeks. It's like being on the hunt."

"I thought that the farmhouse was fun."

"It wasn't bad, but I was more focused on getting my brother than having fun." Point taken. I turned my head in the direction of the hall I wanted, and he said, "We should do this more often."

"Have fun or sneak me around the town?"

"Well, since they're one and the same, both. Eventually, we can start switching you out with Elena more . . . I'll have to coach you on how to be her . . . And we'll have to get you some contacts."

I looked back at him. "I can see just fine."

He nodded towards my eyes. "They're a little off." I frowned.

"What do you mean they're off?"

Examining my eyes, he said, "They're lighter . . . not quite amber. Definitely not as dark as Elena's . . . and there are these gold flecks that - "

"Maybe it's the vervain."

"Why would it be the vervain?"

"I don't know? Don't some drugs change your eye color? I wouldn't notice, because I see them every day, but being up close to Elena would show how much they've changed, and I'm on a lot of vervain."

"Why is that? A little goes a long way."

"My parents insist."

He looked past me and said, "Yeah, well, it makes your blood smell like vervain. There are hints of blood there, but it's mostly blocked out by the smell of vervain." He paused and then looked down at me with a slowly growing grin. "And I bet that's exactly what they want. They're trying to hide something, like you not being Elena." His eyes narrowed in thought. "Give me your finger." I reluctantly pointed my finger up for him to see, and he looked around to make sure we were alone before using his thumbnail to scratch the tip. Inhaling deeply, he said, "Yeah, I can't tell. I know it's human, and even if you bled most of the vervain out tonight there's still so much left, it's hard to tell if it smells like Elena's blood or not." Looking at me, like he was planning something, he said, "You're going to have to go off the vervain for a couple of days."

"I don't want to go off of it for a couple of days."

His eyes narrowed again. "You should want to get to bottom of this. It's another piece in the puzzle they haven't told you . . . Did your Mom compel you to take it?"

I shrugged. "I wouldn't know if she had, but she's never compelled me, and - "

"That you know about."

"No, she said she's never compelled me."

"Your blind faith is infuriating." Rolling his eyes, like he thought I was an imbecile, he said, "Try it. Go off it a few days. See if you can. If you can't, then - "

"I was compelled." He nodded, and I said, "But the vervain protects me."

Looking at my locket, he said, "That'll do the same thing."

"Yeah, but that can be torn off." I wasn't going to tell him about my ankle bracelet. A girl has to keep some of her secrets.

"Just try it. Nothing is going to get to you over the next few days, we'll get to the bottom of this, and then you can go back on it."

"Okay, but if I can't - "

Looking around the corner, Damon absentmindedly said, "I'll be annoyed." Looking down at me, he added, "But not at you. You ready? John's door is down the hall. Take a right, and it'll be the first door on your right, but to get to it, you have to go past the lobby to the left, and the Sheriff is there. It doesn't look like she's going anywhere, so I'll distract her, and you slip into his room."

I gave him a curt nod, to let him know I agreed with his plan, and he disappeared around the corner. I followed him, and he went left saying, "Liz, I came as soon as I got the message. Is she okay?" I peeked around the corner and waited until Damon and the Sheriff turned the other way before moving as quickly as I could past the lobby. Taking a right when I got to the first hall, I paused. This was the ICU, and that meant this was bad.

There were some people in the hall, a doctor and a nurse. I waited for them to go into one of the rooms and pushed through the doors. When I got my Dad's room, I darted inside and hid behind the wall next to the door, while I took in the sight of my Dad. I'd never seen him like that. He looked so small and weak, like the human he was, and he was pale . . . deathly pale. He must've lost a lot of blood.

He was sleeping. I didn't know if I should disturb him. Just seeing that he was alive was enough. I turned to leave, but stopped when I heard him whisper, "Katherine?"

He never sounded scared, but did just then. "No, it's just me, Dad."

"Eve?"

I was on my way to his bed when he said, "What are you doing here?"

It wasn't a, 'I've been looking forward to seeing you,' kind of tone. It was more like, 'I don't want you here.' "I heard what happened. I wanted to see you."

Sinking further into his pillow, he watched me. "I heard what happened too. Do you want to tell me why you're up and walking around?"

Oh . . . _oh_. I shrugged. "Maybe she made it sound worse than it was. I'm a little sore, but - "

"Don't lie to me, Eve."

Well, this visit wasn't going the way I'd expected. Ignoring him, I said, "Why haven't you come to see me?"

Ignoring me, he asked, "Why did you let her in?"

"I didn't." Moving the two steps I needed, I sat on the foot of his bed and said, "She killed the landlady."

"Nobody should've been able to find her."

"I know, but I was thinking that . . . "

He groaned in frustration and hit the bed with the hand that wasn't bandaged. "Isobel!" He shook his head and then decided to calm down when he looked at me. "Your mother never was a good judge of character." He gave me a slight smile. "Not like you." Yeah, he didn't really mean that. I wanted to tell him not to guilt trip me, but didn't. He didn't know for sure that I'd been given vampire blood, and for now, that's how I was going to leave it. As if he could see that's what I was thinking in this silent argument of ours, he elaborated to make it seem like he hadn't been implying anything. "You've never trusted Katherine."

"She said she was proving a point about why I needed to live with Elena."

"Don't do it." 

He was fast at his response, and it caught me off guard. "I thought you wanted - "

"I did. When I got here, I was disappointed not to find both my daughters living under the same roof as me - " 

"You mean with one living as a troll in the basement that nobody else can know about?"

"That's enough!" My shoulders fell, and he said, "As I was saying, I had time to think about it, and I know that you're playing it by the book. The father in me wants my daughters to get to know one another, but maybe this is for the best." Biting the inside of my cheek, I nodded, and he sighed tiredly. "So, you should probably get going before anyone else comes in here."

"Okay, I'll let you get some rest." 

I slowly pushed myself up off the bed, and was a couple of steps away when he said, "And stay away from Katherine. She proved tonight that she knows too much about you."

It made me stop. I turned to look at him. "We already knew that she knew that I existed, and we already knew that she knew why I've been kept a secret, so what else does she know, Dad?"

"It's safer if you don't know."

"Safer for who?"

He rolled his eyes. "Eve, we've talked about this."

"Yeah, you're right. What was I thinking? Of course it's safer for Elena. Why worry about the safety of your dead daughter walking? As long as I make it to the place on time, it doesn't matter."

"Eve." 

His tone suggested it was a warning, and I counted to 10, while releasing a slow breath. "I know. I'm sorry. It's just been a stressful night."

"Which brings me back to why you're here at all? How are you still standing, Eve?"

"Dad, can we not?" I'm pretty sure that if I'd had the energy, I would've stomped my foot in petulance. As it was, I put all my frustration into my voice.

Readjusting himself on his pillows, so he looked a little more put together, he put as much authority into his voice as possible as he said, "I think we should."

Wrapping my arms around my midsection and rolling my eyes, I looked off to the side, while I muttered, "Vampire blood."

"What was that? I didn't hear you." 

I threw a glare his way. "You heard me perfectly well."

"No, see what I thought I heard was that my daughter said vampire blood, but I know my daughter would not have chosen the easy way out of - "

"I didn't have a choice, Dad."

"You always have a choice. And now you're a walking liability."

"Well, not all of us have a nifty little ring that brings us back."

"But the point is that if you die and come back now, you'll be one of them. I taught you better than this."

"It's not her fault. She was unconscious when I found her. She didn't have a choice. I made it for her." 

My eyes widened in shock-horror when I looked behind me to see Damon standing there. Oh this was going to make things so much worse. "What was he even doing there, Eve?" I turned to look at Dad, and he was glaring at Damon. 

I uncomfortably lifted a shoulder and pointed my thumb in Damon's direction, while saying, "Katherine killed my landlady, so anyone could walk in . . . and that's why I'm not going back there, so if you see on the news that the place was burnt to the ground, don't worry, because - "

"Eve."

"Hm?"

"How does he know about you?"

I ducked my head. "I - "

Damon stepped next to me and put his arm around my shoulders for extra-emphasis, while he said, "I found her. You think you can just threaten me, and I won't look into you? She wasn't hard to find if you dig deep enough." 

I stepped forward to get out from under his arm, but he pulled me back to stand next to him. If Damon was hoping to get answers out of my Dad, my Dad didn't bite. "She's impossible to find." Looking at me in disappointment, he added, "I know my daughter, and based on that look she's got right now. I'd say she went looking for you."

Still trying to goad Dad into giving him answers, Damon quickly said, "And why would that be such a bad thing? You throw her to wolves and expect her to do it on her own?"

My eyes widened as I looked up at him and then my Dad. My Dad's disapproval apparently knew no bounds. "You told him?"

I quickly shook my head. "No. No, no, no. He's talking about the tomb vampires." 

I looked up at Damon and tried to give him a look to tell him to play along, and he smirked. "She told me everything."

"Eve!"

I looked at my Dad. "Yes, Daddy?"

"You know what's at stake. How could you - "

"Why do you believe him over me?"

"You're a terrible liar. Always have been."

"And he's a very good liar, so between the two of us, you've got a mediocre liar, and the truth probably lies somewhere in between." 

I gave him a weak smile, but he was not amused. " _Us_? You're an _us_ now?"

"What? No." I looked up at Damon for help, and he was trying not to laugh. Trying my Dad again, I said, "Us is a pronoun commonly used to - "

"Eve."

"Yes, Daddy?"

"Get out." 

I slumped, and Damon said, "That's a little harsh." I grabbed his arm to try and drag him with me, but he stayed where he was. "She almost died tonight. I mean she may not be bleeding out anymore, but she's in pain, and she still came here to see you . . . She's your daughter. I - " Looking like it pained him to say it, Damon added, "I don't know anything. She hasn't said a word about whatever you two are talking about."

My Dad's harsh glare turned into his mocking one as he said, "And here I thought you were the good liar." Flicking his eyes in my direction, he added, "If she's already rubbing off on you, then you know her too well, and you should know that if you get too close to her, she'll lead you down the fast path to ruin. Take it from me, I should know."

"Dad, that wasn't very nice." 

"I'm not feeling very nice."

"No, I mean, it wasn't very nice to me."

"I knew what you meant, and it doesn't make what I said any less true, but you know that. We've been having the same conversation for years, and I'm tired of it." 

"Then why did you want me to be friends with Elena?"

"It's like I told you. It was the misplaced hope of a father that wants his daughters to connect. Emotion. It's a weakness in all of us, but I'm not too big of a man to admit I was wrong. This is something you have to do alone. It's better for everyone if you do." His bravado finally fell, and he said, "Just go." I turned to leave, trying to keep it together until I got through the door, but was stopped once again when he said, "And don't come back until you're on the right side of this again." 

And with that, I made my way out into the hall, not caring if I was seen. I didn't want anyone to see me cry. I never cried, but I could feel the tears stinging my eyes. Pushing out of the ICU, I rushed past the bodies standing there, not really noticing who they were. I think someone may have said, "Elena," and I might've said, "Get stuffed," in return, while I went past. It wasn't until I was about 20 paces past that I realized what I'd done. Stopping to look over my shoulder, I saw Damon talking to Bonnie, and he waved me on, like he had it under control, so I carried on with my retreat, being a little more cautious before I rounded any corners to make sure I didn't run into Elena herself. It wasn't until I was outside the back entrance that I felt like I could breathe. 

I went to my car a little more slowly and collapsed into the front seat. Damon, at least had the common courtesy to give me plenty of time to try and get my act together before he came out. I didn't know what I was going to say to him, so when he got in the driver's seat, I looked out the passenger side window, and he was the first one to break the ice. "You wanna talk about it?"

My answer was immediate. "No. Do you?"

Starting my car, he said, "Not really. Just thought I'd ask." He waited until we pulled out of the parking lot before saying, "I think your Dad and my Dad would've been great friends." 

I don't know what he was expecting. Maybe it was for me to be mad at him for coming into the room and making things with my Dad worse. Maybe he expected me to ignore him or take whatever was wrong with me out on him, but when I looked at him, I thawed just a little bit before genuinely asking, "Really?" because I wanted to know why he thought that, and it seemed to catch him off guard.

"Yeah." His eyebrows furrowed as he swallowed and watched the road. "Mission, honor, and duty before kids, right? You, uh, you add in a few beatings and some cigar burns for punishment, and you've got the same type of man."

"Do vampire bites as a lesson on not being afraid count?"

He glanced in my direction, like he hadn't thought of that. "Yeah, I guess they would. There you go. Same type of man." 

We rode in silence for a few minutes, but they weren't uncomfortable minutes. Finally, I said, "Can you stop at the next newspaper machine? I need to find somewhere to live."

"I already took care of it."

I should have been wary of his choice, but really, it just took a load off my mind, so I rested my head against the cool glass and closed my eyes. "Okay."

"Okay, just like that?"

I didn't really know how to go about it, or at least I didn't with how tired and weak I felt, and if he wanted to do it for me, then I wasn't going to stop him. "Mm. Just like that."

"So, we're still friends?"

After what my Dad said? My Dad was wrong. I needed help. I couldn't do this on my own. "We were never friends, and we won't be. We're partners. That's it."

"Partners?"

"Hm. I'm testing it out. What do you think?"

One of my eyes opened a fraction to see his response to that. "I think your incapable of calling me your friend."

"Teammate?"

"Just say I'm your friend."

Closing my eyes again, I shook my head. "Nope. I don't have friends. Didn't you hear? Everyone is better off if I'm alone."


	14. Finding A New Place To Live

I felt like I was floating and heard voices above me, but I was a little too out of it to care. I was almost back to sleep when a voice was directed at me. "Wake up!" I startled and almost fell. Scrambling to desperately hold onto what was keeping me from falling, I quickly got annoyed when I heard someone laugh. 

Narrowing my eyes, I gave Damon a glare. "Why are you carrying me?"

"How else was I supposed to get you in here? You sleep like the dead. Not a very good trait to have as a vampire hunter-in-training." 

I groaned in frustration and grumbled, "Put me down," but he did as I commanded rather unceremoniously. 

My heels hit the floor, slid, and my legs gave out from under me. Quickly catching me, and setting me upright, Damon smirked before looking over my shoulder. "Eve, I want you to meet my realtor."

When I turned, I noticed two things. One, I was facing a plump little woman who looked way too happy to be here in the middle of the night, and two, I was in Damon's home. "What am I doing here?"

"She's going to sign over one of the rooms to you." I looked over my shoulder in confusion at Damon, and he rolled his eyes before saying, "This used to be a boarding house, so there are plenty of rooms. I can't exactly rent you one, because I don't legally own this place, so she's leasing you one of the rooms, and it'll be yours indefinitely."

"Are you insane? Stefan - "

"Is gone most of the time with school and his little escapades with his high school friends."

"But I need somewhere - "

"Elena's here more than she's at her own house. You'll be able pick up more here than a house blocks away from her."

He did have a point. I knew that he could see that what he'd said had almost sold me on it, so I threw another negative at him. "And constantly in hiding."

"Weren't you already?"

I guess I was. "But Stefan is here. I don't see how - "

"We'll put you down in the guest wing. He almost never goes down there . . . just might want to hold off on playing any loud music or bleeding when he's home . . . you know the drill." 

Putting my the palm of my hand against my forehead as I turned away from him, I uncertainly muttered, "I don't know."

"Just sign on the dotted line and give her a dollar. This will work, I promise, and Katherine won't be able to get to you here. If she somehow manages to get past me and Stefan, she won't be able to get in your room. You'll be safe until such time that you go off to die."

He did have a point about Katherine. She'd never think that I'd stay here, not that I was scared of her, but if I wanted to be smart about this, I needed to keep my profile around her nonexistent, and if I was here, it'd be harder for her to kill me if I was going to continue refusing to do what she wanted. "Okay." 

Damon seemed relieved at my response and nodded at the woman. She had some legal forms for me to sign, and I handed over a crumpled dollar bill to her before she handed me a room key, and Damon stepped in front of her to look into her eyes. "Forget that you were here tonight." 

As soon as she was gone, I looked around the foyer. "What about my car?"

"It's in the garage. I'll just tell Stefan, I got a new one."

"Okay, and what about food. If he sees - "

"Your room has a mini-fridge. You can keep your things in there."

"And a shower - "

His eyes widened in annoyance. "Your room has one. Stefan usually leaves for school at a quarter past 8, so any time after that should be fine, and we'll work out a schedule for the weekends." I couldn't help but snicker. "What?"

"Nothing it's just . . . I can't believe you talk about him going to school with a straight face. It's ridiculous. He's over 160 years old."

He snorted. "You don't have to tell me. I mock him about it every chance I get."

I looked down at my bags and picked up the handles, while saying, "Do you want to show me to my room before he comes back, or - "

Taking my key for me, Damon took the lead, and I followed him down a few lengthy hallways. "He's at Elena's, what with the whole Katherine thing and Baby Gilbert - "

"What happened to Jeremy?"

"His girlfriend was one of the tomb vampires that died tonight. The idiot decided that he'd rather be a vampire and shut off his emotions than deal with it, so he drank some blood she gave him and tried to - "

"Did he?"

"No. Her blood healed him, but Stefan's on the night watch to make sure he doesn't try again."

"But isn't it his choice?"

Damon threw me a strange look over his shoulder. "Elena doesn't want her brother to be a vampire."

"But it's not Elena's choice. It's his."

Stopping at a door, Damon toyed with the key, while saying, "Normally, I'd agree with you, but his head isn't in the right place to be making that kind of a decision, and he'd regret it, so other people have to make it for him."

He handed me the key, and I unlocked the door to my new home, while saying, "That makes sense." I bent down to pick up my bags and caught Damon giving me a sly smile. "What?"

"I like that there's someone that needs _me_ to be their morality police." Stepping through the door with my bags, I told him to shut up, and looked around my room. It was a little dusty, but that wasn't anything a little cleaning couldn't fix. It almost looked like a study with bookshelves and a beautiful wooden desk. There were thick, forest green, floor-length curtains that would block out the sun, and any prying eyes that might be able to see if I was here. I'd even be able to have a lamp on in here at night without anyone seeing it from outside. There was no TV, but one of those would've been too loud anyway. I did have my laptop, and some pretty good headphones, so if I kept the volume down, watching whatever I wanted shouldn't be a problem. 

I touched the smooth wood of the desk, and Damon asked, "Thinking about using it to make stakes?"

I gave him a smile over my shoulder before looking down at the desk again. "I will if I have to do it, but it'd be a shame. It's beautiful. When you can't get attached to people, you tend to get attached to things, and I think I'm attached to this desk." Glancing at the bed, I added, "But something will have to be done with those linens. I don't do frilly."

"Fix it however you want. It's yours now."

"Really?" I wanted to be sure.

"Yeah, you paid a whole dollar for it. Trash it, remodel it, I don't care, just don't do it while Stefan's home." I nodded while I surveyed the room again, and he said, "So, are you going to invite me in?"

I smirked. "Can you really not come in, or are you being a gentleman?"

"I'm never a gentleman."

I looked up at the lighting fixtures and said, "Right . . . hence why you want in here." Glancing at him, I asked, "Did you know you could get into my old apartment, or not?"

"So, if I want in your room, I have to tell you?" I hummed in the affirmative while I turned away from him, and he said, "I didn't until this morning. After you stabbed me, I might've crossed the threshold, but you didn't notice. I should've said something, I - "

I looked at him and finished his sentence. "Thought that I was toying with you and invited you in without you realizing it?"

"Maybe."

"Well, I don't blame you for not telling me. Nothing that happened with Katherine was your fault . . . But if you knew that this morning, why did you ask if you could come in when I was down tonight?"

He opened his mouth, like he was going to answer and then smirked. "The price of admission was the answer to your other question."

"Why do you want in here?"

"Can't exactly be caught knocking whenever I need to summon you."

I laughed. "So I should get changed in the bathroom every time. Got it."

"Or don't. I didn't mind you parading around in front of me in a towel earlier."

I sat on my new bed in annoyance, ignored the dust, and flopped onto my back. "Ugh, go away. I am so not going down that route with you."

"A deal is a deal, friend."

I rolled my eyes, and muttered, "Fine. You can come in here." 

One second, he was out in the hall, and the next he was lying on his back next to me and making a face. "You might want to do something about the dust before you do anything else."

"That's what I was thinking." Turning my head to look at him, I said, "Earlier, you said something happened with Katherine, and you were coming to talk to me about it . . . what was that about?"

He sighed and shook his head. "I thought she was Elena."

"And?"

"And I kissed her."

"Oh . . . ew. "

Looking offended, he was quick to say, "Ew?"

"Well, you're not . . . I didn't mean you. Obviously." 

"John was right. You are a terrible liar."

"Or . . . Katherine didn't tell you who she was, and I think that's assault?" 

"Actually, I do feel used, and not in a good way." I bet he did. I nodded, and he said, "Yeah, you might think that now, but that's not why your immediate reaction was ew."

"Why'd you want to talk to me about it?"

He went back to looking at the ceiling and said, "To get a woman's perspective . . . I know I've been laying it on pretty thick with her lately, and a lot of that is to get under Stefan's skin, but I also know that she makes me better. She thought I was worth saving tonight . . . I guess I was just trying to thank her for that."

"By kissing her?"

"Hm." He nodded and then looked over at me, so I smirked. 

"Is that the standard way of saying thanks? Thank you for shopping here today. Here, let me kiss you to show you how much I appreciate - " He shoved my shoulder, and I laughed. Looking back up at the lighting fixture, I said, "It's complicated situation, Mr. Salvatore, and I wouldn't want to be in it. You have feelings for her. She loves your brother. Your brother loves her, and - "

"Have I mentioned that he's been overly jealous lately?"

"So, you think that means that he's concerned that she might have feelings for you?"

I felt his arm shrug into mine. "Doesn't it?"

"Maybe, but let's say you get the girl . . . What would that do to you and Stefan? I know you've been alive for a long time, but you were blinded by Katherine for most of it, so you could've passed up the chance at finding something better without even knowing it. I guess what I'm trying to say is that there is always the potential to have more than one or two great loves in your life, especially since you've got a longer life than most, but you only have one brother, and despite your differences, despite the fact that you've spent more time apart than together in the last 150 - "

"How do you know that?" 

My head turned towards him. "Dossier, that I got on everyone in Elena's life before I came here. I have no idea how it was compiled, but it gave a brief biography on all of you. Like, I didn't know that Stefan was a ripper, but I knew his kill count . . . and yours is quite a bit less, but it's still high even though you're not a ripper."

"I should want to kill you right now."

"But you don't?"

He looked back up at the ceiling and shook his head. "Not really." 

"Wouldn't want me to come back as a vampire-hunting vampire?"

He snorted. "I actually wouldn't mind seeing that. You might stand half a chance then."

"Whatever. I am awesome at killing." He snorted again, and I said, "Anyway, what I was trying to say is that even though you've got this thing with your brother, doesn't just knowing he's out there make living this life easier? And if that's true, then doesn't it mean that he matters to you, and you will feel guilty and rightly so if - "

"Do you know the story about how we turned?"

"I do, but I'd like to hear it from you." He looked at me, and I asked, "Why does that surprise you?"

"You mean my side?" 

"There's more than one side to every story."

"Are you going to listen, or are you going to be all . . . judgey?"

"I'll keep in mind that it's subjective, but how you felt about the whole thing isn't invalid because of that. That's as real to you as fact."

"Why are you being so good to me?" My forehead wrinkled in confusion, so he said, "I mean, if you're trying to get me on your side with this whole plan you've got, then I'm already on your side." Oh. Damn. A second later, he genuinely smiled. "Are you blushing?"

Looking away from him, I quickly said, "I don't blush."

"Funny, because that's not what I'm seeing right now . . . Did I just catch you being my friend? I think I did." 

"Shut up about it."

"Why?"

I looked at him because of the tone of his voice, and he really seemed to want to know. "Because my Dad wasn't wrong . . . path to ruin and all that. I don't need friends. I don't want - "

"I don't believe you." I opened my mouth to disagree, and he said, "He said he was tired of having this conversation with you. That means that you've had the friends talk with him already, and I'm guessing a lot."

"I'm going to die, Damon. What's the point?"

"We can find a way around - "

Pointing at him briefly, I said, "That's why I can't have friends. Friends think that way, but in reality it's either me and Elena and a whole bunch of people or just me."

"How do you even know - "

"Stupid witches."

"Witches?"

"Lots of them before my Mom had us, and none of them knew one another, but the message was loud and clear. I have to face it head on and can't pretend like it's not going to happen. At least this way, I feel like I have some control over my demise." I could tell he wanted to say more about it, but I didn't, so I rested my temple on his shoulder and said, "Just tell me the story about how you were turned." I don't know why he did it, but he did. I guess he needed to talk about it. Maybe I could be a vampire psychologist to vampires some day. They had some serious issues that needed to be dealt with in better ways than killing. It was something to consider.


	15. Picking Up The Pieces

I had to wait until I was on my own in the house to redecorate my room. I guess there was a wake that Damon and Stefan had to go to for the mayor, and I figured that since most of the town would also be there, it would be a good time for me to go out and get things for my new home. I needed sheets and a comforter. I liked the curtains, so I opted for a light green to help brighten the place up without clashing with the forest green. After that, I got some towels for my bathroom and more toiletries, along with food for my mini-fridge. Last but not least were cleaning products for my room. 

Coming back, I was unsure about just waltzing into the house if Stefan was there. I hadn't thought this part out. Leaving my things in my car, I went into the house first to make sure I was alone, hoping that I could just pretend to be Elena if he was in there. Hopefully, he didn't think I was Katherine after her path of destruction. I was in luck, because nobody was home, so I ran back to my car, got my things, and then closed the garage door behind me, while I hastily made my way to my room. 

As soon as my door was closed, I breathed a sigh of relief. We'd have to re-think the whole leaving and coming back thing for me. I guess I never had to leave my other apartment, but things were a little different here. I didn't have a delivery service to do my shopping for me.

I spent the rest of the day cleaning my room and changing the bedding. When I was done, I was beat. I still don't think I was 100%. I'd only been attacked the previous night, and then I'd gone to the hospital and moved into a new place. I should've taken it easier. I guess I could now. If I just went to sleep, it'd keep me living here that much more quiet to Stefan on my first day here, when I still didn't know which floorboards and doors were squeaky. I'd have to know those like the back of my hand in order to venture out of here when he was home . . . but I didn't have to know them today. Today I was too tired. I was still recovering from all that blood loss.

"Eve!" My eyes shot open, but my room was pitch black. Was it night or were the curtains blocking out the sun? I swiftly fell out of bed, still unsure of my surroundings. "Come out. Come out wherever you are!" I grabbed the stake under my pillow, and crawled to the door, so I could peek my head out. I didn't see anything. I was putting my foot down in the hall, so I could stealthily rise when I saw Damon come around the corner. He took one look at me, and I knew he was pissed off about something, but I didn't have the time to ask him what was wrong before he was flashing down the hall, picking me up and throwing me into the wall across from my room. Holding me there by the throat, he spat out, "You are without a doubt, the worst vampire hunter I have ever met."

My eyes narrowed. "Don't manhandle me."

"Did you hear me call you?"

"Don't talk to me like that, either."

"Or what?"

"Or . . . I won't talk to you."

He squeezed my neck. "I think you overestimate your importance." 

I menacingly responded, "Or you do," and jabbed my stake into his side before running past him to my room. As soon as I crossed the threshold, I reached towards my desk, grabbed my little spray bottle that I'd put there in case Stefan found me, and spritzed Damon in the face with a vervain concoction, so I'd have enough time to slam the door shut. I knew I shouldn't have invited him in here. I waited for him to break the door down and waited, and then I heard what sounded like something sliding down the other side of the door. "Damon?"

"Katherine was here."

He sounded like he was in pain, but I didn't know if that was a ploy or not. "When?"

"Hours ago. I had time to get drunk and stop by Elena's since then. Where were you?"

"Sleeping."

"Of course you were. That's all you fucking do. I needed you, and you weren't there . . . Eve, I did something - "

Okay, maybe the pain in his voice wasn't a ploy. I opened the door, and he went from slumping against it to looking up at me from the floor. "Did you want me to hurt you? Is that why you came at me like that?" He didn't say anything, so I sighed and crouched down to help him sit up. Taking a knee next to him, I gently grabbed his chin to make him look at me and asked, "What did you do?"

His eyes flashed with pure sorrow for just a moment. "I killed Jeremy . . . Snapped his neck, and poof he was gone."

"Were you this wasted?" 

"You think that's an excuse?!"

"No. I just think that maybe you've got it wrong. Maybe you just hurt him."

He looked like he thought I was an idiot. "I've killed more than my fair share of people, Eve. I know what I did. And the look she gave me - "

"You did it in front of Elena?" 

He looked away from me and asked, "Why me?"

"Because you have poor impulse control?"

"No, why did you pick me? Why not go to Stefan? He's the hero."

Oh. I took a seat next to him and said, "My reasons then would be different than my reasons now . . . My favorite comic book character is - "

"What is wrong with you? I'm asking you a serious question, and - "

"And I'm giving you my answer. Just bare with me, you impatient . . . weirdo." He looked affronted by that, but held his tongue, so I said, "As I was saying, my favorite comic book character is The Punisher. A lot of times, he's seen as the villain to other superheroes, like Davedevil, because he kills. He's an anti-hero. He doesn't fit in with the typical idea of what a hero is, and with you . . . well, you're the anti-hero that I'm placing all my bets on. You will do whatever it takes to save Elena and anybody you love, which includes your brother by the way, and there are some lines I just didn't think Stefan would cross that you would. You're a darker shade of gray, Damon, but you're still gray. You're not a villain."

It looked like some of what I was saying was getting through, but he was still mostly against it. "I killed someone tonight, and that's all you can say?"

"Well, you're my morality police. What would you rather hear me say?"

"That you hate me. That I deserve to die as you attempt to drive that stake into my heart . . . but if you tried, I'd probably just kill you too, and I can't - "

He was unravelling, so I interrupted him. "Damon, I kill vampires. Maybe some of them weren't so bad, but they're dead now because of me. I've tortured vampires. I hated it, but my Dad insisted, so I did it, and I can be very good at it even though I hate it. When it's over I feel really bad about it, but it doesn't change the things I've done. I'm in no position to judge . . . I don't condone what you did to Jeremy. I'm still not sure he's really dead. If he is, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it, but - "

Damon leaned to the side, so he could rest his forehead on my shoulder, and I wrapped an arm around his back before he said, "They both chose Stefan."

"Well, then they're both idiots. I decided at Miss Mystic Falls that you were the one I wanted with Elena, so - "

He looked up at me. "What?"

"I saw something in your brother that I didn't like. That's why my opinion of him before I met you two was different than it is now."

"Did he hurt you?"

"No. It's just . . .You know what you are and who you are, and you don't pretend to be something you're not. He's does, and I think that makes him much more dangerous than you. He may make valiant attempts to control himself, but the way he was with that girl . . . He was not switched off, but his real self came out. You run hot tempered. He runs cold, and that makes him, like a Hannibal Lecter among vampires. I could see it, and it was just his first bite in I don't know how many years."

"He scared you. That's why you darted him twice and were going to go for a third dart." 

"I wasn't scared of him."

"Then what?"

"I guess it felt like I was getting a practice run at things that are to come, things I won't be able to fight back against, the monsters that scare other monsters. He is a true predator in every sense of the word . . . there was obvious turmoil before he bit her, and then just nothing . . . he went blank . . . not even a switched off kind of blank, but something else entirely. If a killer whale is like your typical vampire, either switched on or not, then your brother is like a great white . . . they're just as deadly to their prey, but there's a difference in how I perceive them. That's the only way I can explain it." I glanced down at Damon, and immediately regretted what I'd said. "Sorry. I know he's your brother, but - "

"No, please continue." I smiled, and he sat up only to lean to the side again and rest his forehead on my temple. "What are they, Eve? Why'd my brother make you feel like that?"

"I don't know why he made me feel like that. I was in complete control . . . It was just - "

"Whatever is after Elena is a vampire?"

"Yes."

"And very old if Katherine was running from it 500 years ago."

"Try doubling that time, and you have their approximate age. And maybe when I saw Stefan like that, it made me feel like that version of Stefan is what's coming, but it's 10 times as old, has seen everything you could possibly imagine, and is 10 times as cold-hearted." 

"How many of them are there?"

"The rumors vary, but there's really only one that . . . we shouldn't be talking about this."

Sitting up, he whined, "Oh, come on, Evie . . . I need something to take my mind off of what happened tonight."

"How was the wake?"

He threw me a glare before looking down at his chest in what I would call a pout. "Katherine was there too. She went after Bonnie and stabbed Stefan. He knows about me kissing Katherine and thinking it was Elena . . . You might've been right. All I wanted was for him to fight with me over it, get some dirty shots in or . . . I don't know. I deserved whatever he wanted to dish out, but he didn't do anything . . . and then tonight I did try to kiss Elena. It did not go well."

"Yeah, I'd say killing her brother wasn't a very suave move."

"How can you joke about this?"

"Too soon?"

He sighed. "I wish you'd been there. I think you might've been able to stop me."

"Because I'm Little Miss Stabby?" 

He snorted before looking at me. Looking down at his side, he shook his head. "You did stab me, didn't you? Ruined my shirt."

"Wish I could say I'm sorry, but I'm not. You earned it."

"Yeah, probably . . . hey, is it okay if I crash in here tonight? If he comes home, I don't want to deal with - "

"Sure."

"You know sometimes, I question your survival instincts. I just attacked you."

"And maybe killed someone."

"Exactly."

"You're right. You should get out."

He snorted again. "You don't mean that."

"Nope. Come on, let's get you up." I stood and got behind him, so I could thread my arms under his and help lift him onto his feet. When he was standing, he was still wobbling back and forth, while he looked around the room. 

"Like what you've done with the place . . . but I would've take you for more of a blue kind of girl." Flipping on the bathroom lights, I pointed to my royal blue towels, and he seemed quite pleased with himself for getting that right before he stumbled around to the other side of my bed and landed on top of my comforter. By the time I finished brushing my teeth, he was already asleep. I sighed before grabbing a clean stake to put under my pillow, turned off my light and climbed in next to him. 

I was concerned about this Jeremy thing. I'd killed vampires for less, and I didn't know if letting Damon get by with it meant that I was slipping. I just knew that it seemed like my lightest shade of gray in this instance was not to kill him. He'd broken down after what he did. Now whether that was actually for the act or because he'd crushed Elena, I wasn't sure, but I had the feeling that it was somewhere in between, so his remorse for the act itself was somewhere in between, and that meant there was something redeemable there, the way I hoped. I guess we'd see.


	16. New Surroundings

Everyone was out the next day, and I wasn't sure if I should come out of my room or not. I didn't like the way that felt. There's cautious, because Stefan lived here, and then there's letting it control you. Stepping out of my room, I paused at the door and listened to see if I could hear anything. I didn't, so I wandered a little further and tried out a few steps to find the floorboards that were loose. I'd make sure not to walk on them in the future. When I made my way to the living room, I decided to explore a little. There were a lot of books. There were a lot of small things around the place that seemed interesting. It was a little like living in a museum. 

After I was done exploring, I made my way outside. The entire property was pretty isolated. Stretching, when I found a secluded place in the woods at the back, I got started on my training regime. It was so nice to be able to do it outside for a change. I even had space to run, so I took the opportunity and ran a full 2 1/2 miles, making the round trip 5 miles. I'd have to be able to do better than that for my own personal standards, but it was the first time I'd been able to run in way too long. When I was done with my physical fitness, I went back into the house and got my crossbow and some stakes before heading back outside and setting up something of a shooting range for myself. The guns would be too loud, but a crossbow and throwing my stakes should be just fine. I spent a good hour just doing that before being rudely interrupted. 

I heard a twig snap behind me, turned, and the stake went sailing out of my hand right towards Damon's head. He caught it maybe an inch away from his nose and shook his head. Lowering it to his chest, he said, "Here, My Little Vampire Hunter-In-Training, the heart is where you need to aim."

"I knew it was you. Can't kill my partner just to get some target practice in can I?" He flipped the stake around, so he could grasp the handle and threw it at one of the bullseyes I'd made, but it went through just outside the center circle. "It looks like you missed."

Stomping towards me, he told me to shut up before picking up the stake and muttering. "The problem is the bullseye. Why is it in a bush? That is most definitely not the right - "

"And yet look at all the holes that are in the center."

"You used your crossbow to make those. This target needs to be attached to something harder."

"Like the bullseye over there?"

I pointed at another one attached to a tree. "Exactly." 

He lined up the target and chucked the stake with a nearly perfect throw. When it landed in the center ring, I asked him how Elena was, but we both knew what I was really asking. "He's not dead." I raised my eyebrows in an, 'I told you so,' kind of way, but Damon said, "He was, but he had on your Dad's ring, or maybe it was his Dad's . . . I don't know which it was, but he was wearing it, so I should probably say, he's not dead anymore."

"Well, that's a relief."

Damon gave me a confused look before saying, "You think that's a relief?"

"Well, isn't it? I mean, he's not dead."

"Elena doesn't see it like that. I killed him. That's all she cares about."

"Yeah, I can see her point, but if it were me, I'd just be really happy he wasn't dead anymore."

"And what would you think about the person that killed him?"

"Well, I'm going to get Katherine back for what she did to my Dad, and he's still alive. I told her that I would if she did anything to him, and she did, so . . . For me, revenge would be on the cards in some form or another."

Damon rolled his eyes. "You can't go after Katherine."

I threaded a bolt into my crossbow, took aim at a target 100 yards in the woods before whispering, "Watch me," and let it fly. Based on what I could see through the scope, I was pretty sure it'd hit dead center, but I don't think he was paying any attention to my achievement.

"Eve."

"Hm?"

"You're insane if you think I'm going to let you - " I spun on the ball of my foot, grabbing a stake from my belt as I turned, and sent it flying towards another target closer to us. That target was attached to a tree the way he wanted, and there was a loud _thwack_ when it hit the center circle. I gave him a broad smile, and he swiftly put his hand out to shove me over. Looking down at me, while I scowled up at him from the ground, he said, "You can't even stay on your feet. Now I really can't let you go after Katherine." 

I dusted the dirt off my clothes as I got back up muttering, "We'll see." Before he could argue, I said, "And I'm not Elena. So, what I would do isn't what she would do. I think that she's entitled to be mad, and since you did the crime, you have to do the punishment and stay in the dog house for as long as she thinks is necessary, but it won't always be like that."

Following me as I went to go retrieve my stakes, Damon asked, "Why not?"

"Because you're always hanging around, Damon. It's hard to stay mad at someone that's always there . . . Absence doesn't necessarily make the heart grow fonder. If you're angry at someone, then distance seems to make it worse, because I get angrier with my Dad every day. Just stick it out, and she'll eventually come around."

"Speaking of always hanging around, I was over at the Lockwood's today, and there is definitely something going on with Mason Lockwood."

"Who is he?"

"The Mayor was his brother, and he showed up for the wake, but he hasn't left yet. I just don't trust the guy, and after what happened with the Mayor and Tyler - "

"The Doomsday device affecting both of them?"

"Yeah. Well, I'm thinking there's something supernatural about that family."

"Okay. Like what?"

"Well, he's not a vampire. I know that."

"But it's not just what happened to Tyler and the Mayor. Mason is pinging your instincts in a way that the Mayor and Tyler haven't. That's why you're zeroing in on him, right? It's not just because he's new."

I looked up at Damon, and he was wearing what I'd dubbed his, 'suspicious face.' "What do you know?"

My eyebrows rose as I bent down to dump my gear into my duffle bag. Well, if the guy wasn't a vampire, there were really only a couple of things he could be, and only one of those was at the top of my list. "If you feel he's a threat, then maybe you should listen to what your instincts are telling you, and maybe before you go making an enemy you should get to know more about him."

"I'm not going to be his friend, Eve."

"I didn't say you should. How are you going to know his weaknesses well enough to kill him if you don't know anything about him? You don't even know what he is . . . just be smart. I know you can be."


	17. Let the Plotting Begin

The next day, I followed the same routine, but spent less time on exploring and hunter training and more on my school work. When I got to the music theory part, I made myself take a break. I didn't particularly feel like studying theory that day. I could try to learn the guitar again, but really, I was itching to try out a baby grand piano that I saw in one of the rooms yesterday. It was hidden out of sight unlike the piano in the main living room. The guitar might not be my instrument yet, but the piano was.

I pulled off the dust cover that was over it and was a little disappointed. There was so much dust that it was obvious this thing hadn't been played in a while, which meant that it was most likely going to be out of tune. I tested it out. Not quite in tune, but not as bad as I was expecting. I got lost in playing, and that felt good, but it couldn't last forever. Stefan had been out most of the day, but I knew he'd be home soon. There was some kind of carnival, so he was there, but I didn't know how long it would last. I sat back contemplating going to my room and heard a voice behind me. "You don't have to stop."

I felt my heart rate take off for a second, before I looked over my shoulder and saw Damon leaning against the door jam. I think it's the first time he caught me totally unprepared, and it's because I'd been so immersed in what I was doing. "No, I, uh . . . Stefan - "

"You've got a good hour before he comes home."

I nodded and looked back at the piano, while Damon came and sat next to me. Unsure of how much he'd heard, I said, "It's a little out of tune."

"I could still tell what it was. _Life on Mars_ , right? Are you a David Bowie fan?"

"Who isn't?" I looked over my shoulder at him before looking back at the keyboard. 

"Do you know anything else?"

"I know lots of things. What do you want to hear?"

"Wouldn't happen to know any punk songs would you?" He had a twinkle in his eyes that said he was teasing, but I grinned before looking back to the keyboard. It sounded so different on the piano that I don't think he quite knew what it was until I started playing the melody. " _I Wanna Be Sedated_?" Smiling, I nodded and kept playing. "I think you can play all our parties . . . You're better at this than the guitar."

"For now. I'll get there."

"Not if you're dead." I messed up and played the wrong chord. Why was he bringing that up? "You could always turn."

I went back to playing his song. "And don't I know it? I haven't decided yet. It's a big decision. I saw how it changed my Mom . . . and even though she hates vampires, she'd still rather have me as one than lose me all together. You probably already know where my Dad stands on things . . . but it's not their decision. It's mine."

"That's why you thought Jeremy Gilbert should be able to make his own choice." 

I glanced at Damon and stopped playing. "Yeah, I suppose . . . How's life outside these four walls?"

"Katherine struck again."

"Ah, Katherine. Never a dull moment . . . What'd she do now?"

"Uh . . . you know how we were at the hospital?"

"How can I forget?"

"Well, Caroline might've been dying, so I may have given her my blood."

"Okay."

"Katherine killed her."

"And she turned?"

"Yeah."

"Awesome. The resurgence of vampires in this town begins."

Damon snorted. "You live with two of us."

"The irony."

"You're only a vampire hunter-in-training. It's not that ironic."

"You've only seen me on one hunt, and we were severely outnumbered, but I still managed to kill 4 . . . 5 if you consider the fact that I loaded Stefan like a gun and pointed him right at that vampire by the car."

"So, you're taking credit for Stefan's kill?"

"Yep. Vampire hunting is about brains as much as anything else."

"Were those the brains you used when you handed that woman over to me to die?"

I sighed. "Did you want to save your brother or not?"

"I'm not judging - just trying to see how far gone you are." He ignored the look I gave him that said that I was offended by that and added, "You know, you would've killed poor defenseless Harper if I hadn't stopped you."

"Like you wouldn't have done it if Stefan hadn't said not to do it. Besides, I was in the zone."

"You haven't killed me yet."

"Is that why you call me a vampire hunter-in-training?"

"If you're a vampire hunter, you're supposed to hate me."

"I don't hate my Mom. Maybe that's the difference." I glanced at him, and he looked from me down to the piano. "Your parents really did a number on you. You're all over the place."

"No, I'm just selective."

"But you hate Stefan."

"I don't hate him. There's just so much bubbling under the surface, and - "

"I'm always telling him that instead of learning to control it, he's denied it, and that makes it so much worse."

"You're probably right."

"Can you tell him that?"

I exhaled a laugh. "Sure, the next time you dress me up like Elena, I'll tell him that his brother is right about the way he lives his life. I'm sure that wouldn't cause problems in their relationship at all."

Damon leaned back. "I have thought we should do something like that so many times, since we met. I think if - "

"It would so bite you in the ass, Damon, and I wouldn't do that anyway. It's wrong. Let their relationship run it's course, and then you can swoop in after it's over. That way everyone wins. Think of it like a long-con."

"What if it never ends?"

"Elena's only in high school. What does she know about what she wants for the rest of her life?"

"You're the same age."

"Yeah, well, I had to grow up a lot faster, and my life is going to be a lot shorter, so I've had to figure things out at a younger age."

"And you want to be a vampire hunter?"

"Yeah . . . and something else."

"Then you haven't got it all figured it out."

"I've got it narrowed down."

"To what?"

"A bucket list if I'm staying human. I'd really like to learn how to play _Suicide_ by the Raveonettes on the guitar; go to a gig to see a band that I like, I don't care who as long as I like them; finish up whatever schoolwork I have, so that I can unofficially graduate; read Ulysses . . . you get the general idea."

"You have very simple tastes." I huffed, and he smirked before saying, "And if you go vampire?"

"Oh, well, I was thinking I could be a vampire-vampire hunter, a vampire detective, or a vampire psychologist."

He laughed, like a full-on genuine laugh. "That's adorable . . . No really, I - "

"Shut up!"

"You won't want to do - "

"I know. I'm pretty sure I'd be full-on evil if I was a vampire. You'd never be able to keep up with me."

"Nah, I don't think that would happen either, but if it does, I could call you Evil Evie." I turned back to the piano and started playing, _Anarchy in the UK_ from the Sex Pistols, while he said, "So, I was thinking."

"Never a good thing." He glared at me, and I smiled before asking, "What have you been thinking?"

"I need you to give me the location of where your Mom might be hiding some of the research she's been doing." I paused, and he said, "Don't stop. This was my song for a while. Brings back memories." 

I kept going, and asked, "Why do you want my Mom's research?"

"Mason Lockwood. I was watching him today at the carnival, and he's strong, like supernaturally strong. He beat Stefan in an arm wrestling contest. Stefan didn't really give it his all, but even he saw there was something wrong with the guy, and then after that, I got this guy to pick a fight with Tyler. Mason intervened, and there was nothing human about it."

"Okay. I'll send you to the last place I know Mom was keeping her archives. It's not too far. Maybe half a day's drive."

"I was thinking about bringing Elena with me."

I rolled my eyes. "What about Stefan?"

"He'll be busy here with Caroline. I tried to stake her, but he promised that he'd show her the ropes."

"You were going to stake Elena's friend?" I shook my head. "Bad move."

"Yeah, Bonnie almost torched me."

My eyebrows arched as I focused on the keys. "That's why you smell like a barbecue."

"Very funny."

"Can you keep your hands to yourself on this trip?" 

"I swear, I won't go near her. It was just Katherine. She got inside my head, and - "

"Well, don't say that to Elena. Take responsibility for what you did. Don't blame it on Katherine, and I'd say that's a start even if Elena doesn't want to hear it right now."

He looked like he'd take that under advisement and nodded. "What will you do while I'm gone? You're not going to go after - "

"Nobody will ever see it coming when I go after Katherine."

Damon rolled his eyes. "Eve - "

I gave him a polite smile and stopped playing. "Yes, Damon?"

"Don't answer me the way you do your Dad when you're trying to be all innocent."

"Then stop acting like my Dad."

"That was a low blow."

"I suppose it was."

Grabbing his phone out of his pocket, he said, "That reminds me . . . What's your phone number? If I start to crash and burn with Elena on this trip, then I'm going to need to be able to get ahold of you, so I don't lose my cool."

I didn't believe him for a second. "You mean you're going to need to get ahold of me to make sure I'm not going after Katherine."

"That too. So, what is it?" 

"I don't know. What's the boarding house number?"

"What?" 

I grinned at the look on his face. "Mine burnt up at my last place."

"You haven't gotten a new one yet?"

"Nope."

"How is anyone supposed to get ahold of you?"

He was kidding, right? "Uh, my parents didn't contact me even when they were in town, Katherine stabbed me the last time she saw me, and I live with you. Who else is there?"

"Well, I'm getting you a phone. If she comes back here, I want to know. Don't go after her by yourself."

"I have no intention - "

"I know how these things go. Opportunities present themselves, and - "

"Damon, I'm not an idiot. I know what I'm doing."

"Yeah, and she still got to you. You are both the most trustful and least trustful person I've ever met. It's the most trusting part that concerns me."

"Or I play that up as to lull people into a false sense of security."

"It's not false security if they actually kill you."

Turning away from him, so I could play _Army_ by Ben Folds, I said, "If it would put your mind at ease, I can tell you that with Katherine, I'm going to take my time. It's still way too soon to act even if an opportunity presented itself."

"That doesn't mean that she won't act. It's only a matter of time until she figures out where you are. I'm getting you a phone." I ignored him and kept playing. This is precisely why I told him not to care about me. People who care about you think it's their job to involve themselves in your business. "You're mad."

"I told you not to - "

"Who says I care about you? Maybe I just want you alive, so you can keep your end of the bargain." 

I relaxed. "How'd you know that's what I was going to say?"

"I can't give away all my trade secrets . . . So, I'll get you a phone. If she shows up, you'll call, and you won't do anything about her while I'm gone."

"Somehow, I feel like you made a problem out of nothing, because you're only going to be gone for a day, and I don't see how anything could go wrong in that time, but yeah we'll agree to that. Just do me a favor and wait a few days . . . 3. That way it'll be the weekend, and Elena won't miss school You need to give her a few days after what happened with Jeremy and then Caroline anyway. You also need to get Stefan on board with you going off with his girlfriend. If he gives his stamp of approval, then she'll have less reason to turn you down."


	18. The Book of Eve

I felt my new phone buzz and pulled off a leather glove, so that I could grab the phone out of my fitted leather jacket. Lifting the balaclava up, I answered, while keeping my attention on the vehicle in front of me. "Hello?"

"Eve?"

"Who else would it be at this number?" 

I smirked, and Damon quickly said, "This isn't the time. Where are you?"

"Out."

I swear I could hear him clench his fist in frustration, while he tried to keep himself from yelling at me. "I need you to get back to the boarding house and lock all the doors."

"Why?"

"I don't have time to - " A man's screams filled the night, and Damon stopped short. "What was that?" My focus wasn't exactly on him anymore, so I didn't answer. "Eve, what was that?"

"Is this about Mason Lockwood being a werewolf? Don't worry. I've got him in my sights. I won't let him get Stefan."

There was an extended pause followed by an accusatory, "You knew."

"Uh huh."

"You had no intention of going after Katherine, while I was out of town. He was your target."

"What can I say? I've always wanted to see a werewolf on a full-moon. You're cutting it a little close. The moon's apex is nigh."

"You've never hunted one?"

"Nope, but I'm looking forward to this, so don't harsh my buzz."

"Eve."

"Hm?"

"Go home."

I'd followed Mason all day. Werewolves were so much easier to sneak up on than vampires as long as you stayed down-wind of them. I saw the truck Mason had run into stop rocking and held my breath, while I pulled my balaclava back down to hide my face and put my glove back on over my bare hand. I didn't know how close this encounter would get, so I needed the extra leather. "Sorry, Damon. I can't do that . . . I'm gonna have to let you go."

"Eve! Don't - "

I didn't even have time to hang up. I had time to drop my phone and level my gun at the vehicle as a wolf much larger than any I'd seen at the zoo came bursting out the window, shattering the glass, like it was a thin sheet of ice. He was so fast. It was probably lucky that he burst out of the window to my left and not right at me, but then of course, he was charging straight at Stefan's body, which I'd suspected he'd do, and that's the reason I was standing over here, not by Stefan. I shot the werewolf in the side with one of the wolfsbane darts I'd spent all last night making, and he yelped, but he didn't stop. He just changed course and started flying straight towards me, teeth gnashing the entire way . "Shit." 

I shot him again, and he snarled, but his speed had slowed down a little, just not enough. One second, I was shooting him a third time, and the next, he was barreling into me and knocking me down. Definitely glad I'd worn the leather, I put my forearm under his throat, as his teeth bared down towards my face and neck. I had to use all my strength to keep him from killing me, even with him being shot with 3 darts, but I was really exactly where I wanted to be. Pulling my hand with the dart gun under him, I shot him pointblank in the chest until I ran out of darts. That was enough. 

His metabolism might burn it off pretty fast, but for now, he was done. He collapsed down on top of me with a grunt, and I pushed him off. His beautiful wolf eyes were watching me warily as I sat up next to him, and I resisted the urge to pet him. "I'm not going to kill you, Wolfie, but you didn't get somewhere safe in time. There are people out here. I can't let you hurt them. You wouldn't want me to let you do it either."

Obviously, he couldn't say anything, but his eyes blinked closed a few times, like he was fighting less to keep unconsciousness at bay. When he was out, I pulled out the rest of my darts and loaded them into my gun. Much like I had with Stefan at the Miss Mystic Falls Pageant, I decided to sit with him to make sure he stayed down for however long his transformation lasted. Looking around, I saw my phone and reached for it, planning to hang up, but saw that it was still connected. "Hello?"

"Kill him now, while you have the chance."

"No. You'll just have to make sure that he leaves town when he goes back to being a person."

"Eve - "

"I can't kill him. He's a cute defenseless wolf right now."

"That's not what he sounded like to me. You need to kill him."

"No, I'm staying here to make sure he stays down until he's no longer a wolf."

"Eve."

"Yes, Damon?"

I was expecting him to try and give me an another order, but instead he asked, "Are you hurt?"

I looked down at my body and saw some blood leaking out of my arm, chest, and thigh where Mason's claws had gotten me, but I was fine. "Some scratches. I'll live."

"If Stefan comes home and - "

"Stefan won't be coming home for a while."

There was another pause, and then Damon asked, "What did you do?"

"He'll be fine. Two darts of vervain should keep him down for - "

"You darted my brother!"

"It's nothing I haven't already done."

"That's not the point!"

"You're just mad that I didn't do it because you told me to do it this time, but . . . I had to do it."

"And now he's going to start asking questions about who did it. Did he see you?"

"I'm better than that, so he didn't suspect a thing until he fell over. And even if he did see me, I'm wearing a balaclava, so he didn't see my face."

"Well, it sounds like you've just got it all figured out."

I ignored his sarcasm and said, "I'm not actually sure how long these wolfsbane darts will keep Mason down. That's why I'm staying here for now."

"Wolfsbane?"

"Yeah, it's like vervain to werewolves. You've got it growing all over the woods at the back of your house. I figured it would work."

"You mean you didn't know?!"

"Calm down. It was an educated guess, and it all worked out."

"Until he wakes up and bites your head off. Just kill him now, Eve."

"Nope. I'll shoot him if he moves."

"What if Stefan's not down as long as you need him to be? You're going to need time to get home before him, so you can clean up and get rid of any traces of your blood, or - "

"Yeah, maybe I'll get a motel room and patch myself up there, but I'm still not leaving."

I heard him growl at me not doing what he wanted, and then he said, "You told me to wait, so I'd be out of town on the full moon, didn't you?"

I smiled. "I did. Werewolf bites are lethal to vampires."

He cursed under his breath. "But you didn't tell me to take Stefan with me."

"He's helping Caroline, remember? She's actually out here in the woods behind me somewhere."

There was a pause, and then he said, "So, you were protecting them?"

"I was . . . and the crowd of drunk high school students that are also out here partying right now. It was the right thing to do, and I had the skills to do it."

"The right thing that involved a lot of lying and sneaking around behind my back."

"I just took a page out of your book."

"Something tells me it was a page out of the Book of Eve as much as it was mine."

He sounded so bitter. I couldn't help but laugh. "I told you I play up my naivety to lull people into a false sense of security."

"You know what? Katherine was right about you. You're smarter than anyone thinks you are."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"Don't. It's going to get you killed."

"Not until the time is right."

"Eve?"

"Hm?"

"Did you agree to me bringing Elena for me or so you could do this?

I smiled. "You know how I know I'll always win, Damon?" He didn't say anything, so I did. "You can't be in two places at once."

"I hate you."

I exhaled a laugh. "Great. Just as long as you don't care."


	19. Trying to Help and Getting It Wrong

I watched as Damon continued to pace back and forth across my room, while he ranted about Mason Lockwood outing him to the sheriff. She was locked up downstairs until she could be compelled to forget. I turned a page of _Invisible Man_ , and then he said, "This never would have happened if you'd just killed him like I said."

"No, this wouldn't have happened if you hadn't stabbed him at the barbecue. I told you silver would work about as well as holy water does on you, but you did it any way, and all it did was make him mad." Damon stopped mid-step and turned to look at me, like I'd just betrayed him, but I ignored it. He knew I was at least partially right. "Not that I blame you. It's in your nature. You're a vampire. He's a werewolf. You were mortal enemies before you ever even knew the other existed. You stabbing him just gave him a reason to hate you as much as he probably already wanted to hate you, and that is why he's also lumped Stefan in with you when it comes to his vendetta even though Stefan didn't do anything to him."

Sitting on the foot of my bed, Damon said, "So you see now why he has to die."

"Nope. I still think you aren't putting enough thought into ways of getting him out of town alive."

"He almost killed Stefan and me, but not before he outed us. If I let that go - "

"He'll think you're weak? Maybe."

"And then he'll come back to finish the job on the next full moon."

I went back to looking at the book and shook my head. "You're not scared of him, because nothing scares you, so don't play that card with me. This is about you wanting to one up him to prove to everyone that knows about it that you are the best man."

"Why are you defending him?"

I stared at the book without really reading, while I thought about it, and then my gaze flicked up to Damon. "I haven't met the man, but I've met the wolf, and the wolf is magnificent . . . so beautiful and full of just this . . . raw power." I smiled, before adding, "With an amazing coat." 

"So, let me get this straight. One bite from your magnificent wolf, and I'm dead, but you want to let it go, because you're a sucker for animals?"

I shrugged and looked down at the book with a smirk. "I always wanted a dog, a wolf is even better. Do you have any idea how hard it was for me not to pet him?"

"Yeah, well you might like the wolf, but there is a man under there that is a complete dick, and he's a problem. I don't even know why I'm talking to you about this. You're probably working some secret agenda."

I rolled my eyes. "Are you ever going to let that go?"

"Nope. It's like now that your parents are out of the picture, you've gone rogue. How are we supposed to be partners if I don't trust you?"

"Well, in fairness, Dad thinks I'm going rogue by being partners with you, and Katherine thinks I am by not doing what she wants. Ah, teenagers, and their pesky rebellious natures. What are the older generations ever to do about us?"

"Don't blame this on being a teenager. You're a loose cannon."

"I'm really not. I just appear that way, because you and everyone else is so entrenched in your own way of thinking about things that you can't fathom why someone would disagree."

Getting up to leave, Damon said, "Fine, so you're out on helping me find a way to kill him. I take it that means you aren't going to help me find out why this moonstone is so important to him too."

I sat up and put the book down. "Why is the first I'm hearing about the moonstone?"

Damon stopped dead in his tracks and turned to look at me with a wry grin. "So, you do know what it is."

Getting off the bed, it was my turn to start pacing. "This is bad. This is very, very bad. Why would he be looking for it here?"

"Because his family has it. He's been trying to get it off Tyler Lockwood. He didn't come back for the funeral. He came back for the stone."

My heart fell, and I stopped pacing. My parents had been looking for the damn thing for at least half of my life, and it was here in the same goddamn place as Elena and I. "You need to get a hold of that moonstone and drop it in the middle of the Pacific."

"Now, why would I do that?"

"Because it needs to be as far away from this town as possible."

"Nah, I'm going to need more than that." I looked at him in surprise, and he smirked. "I don't want him to have it, because I don't want him to have anything that he wants. Why don't you want him to have it? I want details." I opened my mouth, but quickly shut it and shook my head. The less he knew the better. "Well then, I'm going to get it, and you're not invited to the moonstone party."

He left that time, and I didn't know why I couldn't tell him more. Maybe it was years of conditioning that my parents had put me through to make sure I kept my secrets by remaining alone. Maybe it was because I was standing on the precipice of the path that would lead to my death, and it scared me more than I'd like to admit. I was supposed to have more time than this. I was supposed to finish high school at least. Maybe it was because Damon was still angry with me for doing something that he didn't like, and I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of thinking that his freezing me out had any impact on me. Whatever it was, I fought with myself over it until I was heading for the door to go after him.

I couldn't let him do it alone. I had to be a part of it in some way. I knew I wouldn't be able to stop the hands of fate, but if I could just slow them down long enough for me to live even just a little longer, I had to try. When I opened the door, Damon was standing there, like he was expecting me. "Are you going to tell me now?"

"No." I hadn't intended to say that. When negotiating, never come right out and say, 'No,' or your negotiations will entirely collapse. 

"Well, then you're staying here."

"Damon - "

"Nope. I don't want to hear it unless it's you telling me why this moonstone is so important, and in case you get any ideas about following me . . . " He smirked and muttered conspiratorially, "You're a lot slower than I am, Caroline is right downstairs, and maybe I'll tell her that I saw Katherine lurking around on the property. Have fun explaining to Miss Teenage Drama Queen that you're a human when she's trying to protect her Mom and out for blood . . . and without killing her or letting her know you aren't Elena." And then just like that, he was gone . . . most likely to do what he'd said. I wasn't taking his word for it though, so I took a few steps in the direction of the foyer and heard voices . . . Caroline wasn't exactly quiet when she was panicked, was she?

I silently backtracked the way I'd come until I was back in my room. Maybe I could shimmy out my window? I looked at it. I probably could, but what would be the point of that? Damon was already gone. I had no way of catching him now, because I had no idea where he was going or what was even happening in town today. He'd almost entirely cut me out of the goings on around here until after they'd already happened, so he could bitch about them. Admittedly, it was more than I probably would've gotten on my own, but the way things were going, I needed to be in the loop now more than ever.

Flopping on my bed, I wasn't sure what to do. I looked at my window again . . . What did I do when I was doing this alone? I used what I had, and what I had were normal everyday spy devices, which I still had. I rolled off the bed, sunk down to my knees, and reached under my bed, so I could shove a couple of bags out of my way to make room for the one I wanted. Pulling it out, so I could unzip it, I tried to do it quietly, which meant slowly, but eventually, I was able to get my parabolic listening device out. 

If I wasn't going to be told what was going on around here, then I would find out using the only means I had at my disposal, and if Miss Teenage Drama Queen was, in fact, a teenage drama queen, then I bet she had a whole lot to say . . . to her Mom, to her friends if they showed up, to herself? I didn't know, and I didn't care. I put on the headphones, reclined on my bed, and adjusted the direction and settings of the thing until I was able to hear something clearly, and relaxed. It wasn't much, but I was doing something, and that's what mattered, because to do nothing was just not an option. 

Unfortunately, what I heard was really nothing that was any of my business. It was mostly a mother-daughter talk about being a vampire. I didn't need to know that, so I tuned most of it out, and as a consequence may have fallen asleep. It wasn't until a strangled scream amplified by about 10 times burst through my slumber that I shot up in the bed. My heart was beating out of my chest as I looked around the room. It hadn't come from in here. Then I heard Damon's voice. "You can hurt. Good to know." 

I quickly reached up to grab the headphones and threw them on the bed beside me. I stared at them for a few seconds, still trying to register what was happening, and then understanding hit me like a sledgehammer, so I grabbed my machete that was in the bag at my feet and launched myself off the bed and out my door. Intimidation often worked at least as well as torture. I made it all the way to the foyer, but stopped just shy of letting myself be known, because I heard Damon say, "So, Katherine . . . How do you know her? What's she up to?"

Mason knew Katherine? Hm. That was interesting . . . It was starting to make sense, but I need to know more. I could've stopped Damon, because I knew he was torturing Mason, but maybe I wanted just a few of those answers he was seeking. I'd step in when the time was right, but for now, I decided to let it play out a little longer. I scrunched my eyes closed and held my breath when I heard Mason try with all his might not to scream again. I should do something . . . I promised myself that I would . . . just as soon as I got an answer or two. 

That was my plan until I heard Damon asking if she'd seduced Mason and if Mason believed that she really loved him, because that's when I knew that this was as much about jealousy and revenge for what Mason had done a few days ago as it was really finding out the truth. I was going to stop it then, but paused when I heard someone walk into the room from the direction of the front door. 

Jeremy? What was he doing here? Surely, if Damon killed him, he'd want to steer clear . . . Apparently not. Apparently he'd done a bit of research and wanted to drop off some wolfsbane. I don't think I'd ever felt closer to the kid than in that moment. He wasn't scared of Damon just because the guy killed him, and he wanted to be a part of this fight. I didn't know if he knew what that fight was, but just the fact that he still wanted in on it was enough for me to see a little of myself in him. 

I may have felt like we were related for the first time since I'd come to this town, but that didn't mean I wanted him to see me, so I stayed where I was in the hall hoping that he left before things got too bad, and knowing that he probably wouldn't, so I'd have to pull some kind of an Elena con to get him out of the room. I wasn't going to let Mason die if it could be helped . . . but he wasn't doing himself any favors. I heard him call Damon out on being jealous, and it was so not a good time for it. Katherine certainly hadn't chosen him for his brains. I leaned my head back against the wall and rolled my eyes as I heard him choke out another scream. It sounded pretty bad from where I was standing. 

Damon asked him why Katherine wanted the moonstone again, and Mason responded with a hostile, "Screw you." Maybe that's why she chose him. He was pretty brave. Jeremy tried to step in when Damon went to retaliate, but that was never going to work. Damon couldn't show mercy if he wanted Mason to believe his threats and give up what he knew. I heard Damon say he was going to take Mason's eyes, and my mind immediately went to his beautiful wolf eyes, which might be why I took a step in their direction, but Mason finally started to crack. He told them where the moonstone was. Some well? I was unsure which well, but then my head snapped in Damon's direction when he said he already knew where the moonstone was. Where was Stefan? Where was Caroline? Were they getting it? Was Elena? Well, it looked like I was going to be busy getting it from them. 

I heard Damon ask why Katherine would help a werewolf lift the moon curse, and I knew it was about more than the moonstone. She needed them both, a werewolf, which was hard to find these days, and the moonstone. When I heard Mason say she wanted to break the curse because she loved him, I had a totally different reaction to the one Damon had. He laughed. I felt my heart go out to poor Mason and then Damon told Jeremy to take a walk. I knew what that meant. Anyone would've known what that meant, and I sure as hell wasn't about to let that happen, not to the poor guy sitting in there.

Jeremy said he was staying, and I wanted to go in there and snap his neck myself. It was so not the time for him to play at being a hard ass. I needed to get in there, and he was preventing me from doing that. I knew what I had to do and wasting myself as an Elena look-a-like wasn't going to do Mason any favors. Damon's annoyance with the kid was just as immediate as mine, but of the two of us, he was the only one that attacked Jeremy. 

I knew that, because I heard a grunt and peeked around the corner to find that he had Jeremy in a chair, his hand tight around his neck. He wasn't wrong about the kill or be killed sentiment. Mason would kill Damon the first chance he got and had tried to do just that. Plus, there was Mason's whole pack to consider. They almost always had packs, and something like one of their own being tortured was bound to lead to all of them coming up here to have their revenge.

Jeremy left, and I saw my moment. It was one where I was almost convinced that Damon actually felt for Mason. He empathized with him, and it wasn't a show, but it also seemed like he was being hateful to himself for being so stupid when it came to Katherine and just using Mason as his outlet. While he was faux-bonding with Mason, I pulled my hair out of its ponytail and bent forward at the waist to give my hair a bit of a boost. When Damon said that Katherine would only rip Mason's heart out, I made my entrance. 

My clothes were a little wrong. I was wearing a sea green camisole and jeans. Katherine wouldn't necessarily choose it, but it's all I had to work with in the moment, and in that moment, I was Katherine. The confidence, the charm, the walk . . . I had it down. I used Damon's being distracted by me to walk up behind Mason and deposit my weapon behind Mason's chair without either of them noticing. I could do this. I could save him, but I also had to make sure he was no longer a threat before we let him go. 

Tracing my finger along Mason's shoulders, I let him be aware of my presence, and his head turned to follow me as I circled around him. "Katherine?"

Making my way up to Damon with a pout, I wrapped my arm around his back and looked up at him with doe eyes. Tracing a finger up his shirt flirtatiously, I put just the right amount of whine into my voice to mimic one of her more manipulative tones. "Damon, I told you to get the moonstone from him and test his loyalties, not kill him."

The look on his face was priceless. I wasn't sure if he was going to kill me just for getting involved or play along with me to see where I was taking this. Thankfully, Mason broke the tension and created another kind. "You let him do this to me?"

I went to pull away from Damon, so I could deal with Mason, but an arm quickly grabbed me by the waist and pulled me straight back into Damon's chest. I guess he was going to play along. The look he was giving me was so intense and full of want that I may have felt my frozen heart thaw a few degrees, and then he playfully bumped my nose with his and smiled, while I brought my hand up to cradle the side of his face. It was a lovers' hold if ever there was one. I wasn't sure how far he was going to take this. I certainly didn't want him kissing me, and after Damon threw a brief glimpse at Mason to see the werewolf's reaction, he got awfully close to it. I think he would have if I hadn't turned at the last second and given Mason a coy look, like I'd just remembered he was there. 

Ooh, mission accomplished. If looks could kill, I'd be dead right about now, and now all I had to do was keep the Katherine role going. "Relax. If I wanted you dead, you'd be dead. I like you Mason, but you didn't do what you said you were going to do."

"I told you I'd give it to you tonight!"

Yeah, that's what I'd thought. What was the moonstone doing in a well? If he really trusted her, he would've handed it straight over. "True, but you didn't exactly give it to me the way we talked about either. How was I to know you'd actually do what you said this time?"

"I promised."

"Mm. When you've been around as long as I have, promises just don't mean as much as actions, Mason."

"You said you loved me."

Bending down in front of him, I reached for the hair on the side of his head tenderly, ignoring the way he tried to pull away, and said, "I do. I wanted it to be you. You're special . . . but a girl has needs, and one of those needs is trust. I just didn't have yours," grasping his hair in my fist, my tone changed, as I added, "And I was right not to give you mine. A little bit of wolfsbane, and you told him exactly where it was." I roughly pushed his head to the side and stood. "So, now we're done, but because I like you, I'm giving you a chance to leave town. Take your nephew with you."

"Tyler?"

I flicked my hand in a dramatic fashion and rolled my eyes just the way she would when she was getting exasperated. "He's going to get in my way . . . what with that nasty little temper of his. I may just have to pay him a visit if you leave him behind."

"I will kill you if you go anywhere near him!" 

_Gun loaded and aiming right at ya Katherine._ "That'd be a neat trick. How long is it until the next full moon? I'd suggest you get him out of town fast, because he's my next stop after we're done here."

I turned to walk away from him and caught sight of Damon. I wasn't entirely sure what look he was giving me meant, but I didn't think it was good. I think we both knew that Katherine wouldn't let Mason live, but I wanted to give the werewolf a chance. Damon put his arm out behind my back to usher me out of the room, and I was almost in the home stretch when I heard Mason laugh. "It's Eve, right?" My eyes closed, and I licked my bottom lip before slowly releasing my breath. When I turned back around, I was no longer Katherine. I wasn't even Eve, or at least not the Eve that I normally was. I was someone else entirely, someone devoid of any emotion. Mason had a gleam in his eyes, and if I was myself, I wouldn't want to squash it. "You almost had me . . . Almost. There's something different - "

"It's her eyes. I keep telling her she needs to get contacts." I glanced at Damon behind me, and he was looking around, like he was bored.

Mason, trying to one up him, said, "And her scent. She may live with vampires, but it's not enough to make her smell entirely like one." 

My icy mood hadn't changed, and when I bent down in front of Mason, his cocky charm fell when our eyes met. I wasn't mad. I wasn't furious. It was a kind of cold intensity that I brought to the table in moments like this. "I don't even really need to ask, but how do you know my name?"

Mason gave me a half-hearted smile, like he was hoping I was a friend. "I told her all about what happened on the full moon . . . I thought she's the one that saved my ass that night, but she said it was probably you, that you have the potential to be one of the best she's ever seen, and I should stay clear."

Putting my hands on the arms of his chair, while I moved closer, I said, "She doesn't give those kinds of compliments and mean them. She told you to stay away, because she didn't want me to know what she's planning, and now thanks to you, I do . . . You were in the home stretch, Mason. I would've made sure you got out of town. At this point, I have to think that Damon was right. You do want it all to end . . . It's a shame about Tyler though."

The anger returned to his face. "You leave Tyler out of this!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that. Let me ask you something, Mason. Did you activate your curse before or after you met Katherine?" He didn't say one way or the other, but I knew the answer by the look on his face. "That's what I thought . . . Let me guess. Someone came at you, and he wouldn't back down. Eventually you killed that person in self-defense." He didn't say anything, but part of the walls masking his true emotions started crumbling. "You almost saw something similar happen with Tyler at the carnival . . . Man comes up, picks a fight, won't back down. Why do you think that man did that? He was compelled." 

I briefly tilted my head in Damon's general direction and said, "By him . . . but he wasn't anywhere near you when you triggered the curse, and we both know who was. Now that you're about to die, who do you think Katherine is going to target next? She needs a werewolf for the sacrifice required to break the spell on the moonstone. That's why she was with you as much as she was with you to get that moonstone, because werewolves are rare, and you guys are really good at hiding. That leaves Tyler, and I'm going to have to kill your nephew when she makes him activate the curse. Then, I'm going to have to kill any of your pack that comes looking for you, and we both know they will. I just can't let her get her hands on a werewolf any more than I can let her get her hands on the moonstone. Do you see how much carnage you've unleashed just because you couldn't keep your mouth shut and get out of town, like I said?" 

It's amazing to watch another person beg for their life, and with the edge to my voice and intent written all over my face, that's exactly what Mason started to do. Intimidation really did work if you did it right. "I'll leave. I'll go with Tyler, and we won't come back." 

"Why should I believe you? You're in love. A few words from Katherine, and she'll have you eating out of the palm of her hand again. I bet you only figured out it was me, because you're mind couldn't accept the fact that she would screw you over, so you started thinking of other explanations for what could possibly be happening, and you'll do the same thing when you ask her if she activated your curse. You'll cling to any reason to believe her when she tells you, 'no.' You're a dead man either way, Mason. Either you're dead for the sacrifice, or you're dead now. At least if I kill you now, you'll - "

"You saved my ass once."

"I tried to save you again just now, and you didn't seem to want to take me up on it."

"But you're still talking to me. That means that - "

"I want you to know why you're dying. It's Katherine. She got you to activate your curse . . . judging by the look on your face every time I mention it, I'm guessing that it was someone close to you. She could've chosen anyone, but she chose someone you cared about because that person would've stood in the way of your complete devotion to her. I bet she was even there to help you come to terms with your loss, which made you feel even closer to her. Then you suffered with the transition every month on a full moon, and I bet she told you that she found a way to make it stop by breaking the moon curse using the moonstone. And after she put you through all of that, what was she going to do? Sacrifice you in exchange for her freedom. Maybe she'd even convince you to do it willingly if it meant saving her. She does love to be adored . . . Your story is tragic really, but now your nephew will be living it in your place."

I slid the machete out from behind his chair where I'd hidden it, and as I unsheathed it, he quickly said, "I believe you. Just let me take him out of town. I swear - "

"Why would you believe me? I mean, you love her, and doesn't love make fools of us all?" Standing up to run my thumb over the sharp edge of the machete, I asked, "Is it because I have this?" My eyes flicked to his, and I said, "Or because you know that I'll be using this on your nephew when Katherine inevitably goes for him. It doesn't matter if it's a vampire or werewolf. The same rules apply. Head or heart, right? I think with werwolves, I'd prefer to take the head . . . The mechanics of trying to take a heart just aren't practical for me without superhuman strength, but this . . . it is sharp. One swing, a bit of power to get through the spine, and it's lights out. So much more expedient."

"Can you kill her before she gets to Tyler?"

And those were the magic words. He could leave now if he wanted. My eyebrow arched. "Is that what you want?"

"If she's the one that did this to me - Look, Tyler is already a powder keg ready to explode. It won't take much to set him off, and it won't matter if it's his best friend or a stranger . . . Can you kill her before she gets to him?"

Probably not. I opened my mouth, and Damon stepped into the conversation, "Yes." 

His look, posture, tone - none of left even a hint of doubt that he meant what he said, and I didn't understand why he'd chosen then to say something, or why he'd been so resolute about it, but Mason gave him a nod, like they understood one another before he said, "Then do it." Do what? Mason looked at me then and said, "Kill me. I have 2 things keeping me going right now. Katherine and Tyler. With Tyler, I am trying, but I can't be there every second of every day, and I feel like I'm on a countdown to when he kills someone. I know it's coming, and I want to be there to help him, but what I really want is for him to never have to go through this, and I brought her into his life. There are no guarantees that she won't make him trigger the curse just because she has me, especially when she finds out I lost the moonstone. She'll probably kill me, because now she has a back up in Tyler, right? I don't think I can bring myself to kill her, and at least this buys you some time to get to her before she gets to Tyler. Promise me you'll look after him. I asked Jeremy, but Tyler's going to need someone more like you. If something happens, don't kill him just because he's a werewolf. He's a good kid. Get him out of town and find him a pack to show him the ropes. Give him the same kind of mercy you gave me in those woods."

It was so heartfelt, I felt myself nodding in agreement before I had a chance to really consider what he was saying. He wanted to die. Did I do this? Did I just shred his life apart and leave him with nothing to live for now? I wanted to talk him out of it. Maybe the curse was really just that bad, and I'd be doing him a favor if I killed him, but it felt wrong. He wasn't a bad guy. 

I felt a hand slide over my hand that was holding the machete and looked to see Damon. My eyes narrowed in confusion, and then I knew what he wanted. I gave him a single shake of my head and handed him the sheath instead. I'd do this myself. The last thing Mason needed was an enemy killing him. I could've said that to Damon, but this wasn't his moment. It was Mason's, and all of my attention belonged on him. Stepping forward, I gently cleaned Mason's face off with the bottom of my shirt. When he looked a little more presentable, and my kind gesture had relaxed him, I rested my forehead on his. "I promise I'll look after Tyler in my own way for as long as I can, Mason . . . Are you sure you want this?" 

He looked like a weight had been lifted and gave me a little nod. Holding the machete down by my side, I stepped back with my right foot, so I could get more power behind my swing. I did not want this to go wrong. It had to be quick and painless. 

Mason exhaled a couple of harsh breaths to prepare himself, and I looked for any kind of hesitation on his part. If he changed his mind, I would support it, but that change never came. Instead he gave me another quick nod to let me know he was ready, and I brought my left hand up to give give my right arm some added strength as I swung with all my might, never taking my eyes off of my intended target. To close your eyes meant to miss, and I couldn't do that to him, which meant I saw and felt every gory detail . . . but I got it one, which was the main thing. When his head landed on the floor, I watched it roll, my eyes wide, like I couldn't believe I'd just done that, and I quickly released a sharp breath I hadn't known I'd been holding before turning to leave the room. 

"Eve?" I stopped, but didn't look at Damon. "You didn't have - "

"I did. It's what he wanted."

"No, I mean I could've - "

I quietly cut him off. "I know what you meant. Your face isn't the last one he wanted to see."


	20. Wallowing in the Dark

I was currently in phase three of doing something I knew was wrong. The first was doing the act and all the thoughts that swirled around my head begging me not to do it, while I ignored them. The second involved letting those thoughts take hold after the act was done and couldn't be taken back. The third was wallowing. You couldn't call it anything else. I'd had the second phase, while I was in the shower trying to scrub my sins away, and now I was curled up in a ball in my bed. I wouldn't be coming out of it for a few days . . . not until phase four started, and I convinced myself that I'd done what needed to be done. "Hey."

I curled in on myself and buried myself further under my blankets, refusing to look at the doorway behind me. "Eve?" I was hoping Damon would leave, but felt him come into the room. "Elena called. Jenna's in the hospital." I didn't know Jenna well enough to care or be upset by that. "Katherine compelled her to stab herself. I guess it's pretty bad."

In a detached voice, I muttered, "Why are you telling me? Just go to Elena if it's what you think she needs."

I felt the bed behind me dip down as he sat on it and heard him say, "I think it's my fault. Katherine called Mason's phone, and I antagonized her."

My eyes fluttered briefly closed as I tried to absorb that. She'd need another werewolf now. I'd promised him that I'd look after Tyler, but I needed more time. My head wasn't in the right place, and I should've had more time. She shouldn't have known Mason was dead the same freaking day that he died. She should've been left wondering when he didn't show up with her moonstone tonight, and then she should've gotten angry when it was apparent he wouldn't show. She should've thought he left town by tomorrow or the day after that and that he'd taken the moonstone right along with him. Then she should've gone after Tyler as a way to get back at Mason for betraying her and then gone after Mason to get the moonstone back when we were the ones who really had it now. That's what should've happened, but no. Now she knew everything, and she'd probably try to get the moonstone and werewolf in one fell swoop, so we wouldn't be able to stop her from getting either one. 

And what I should be doing now that I knew that was getting out of this room to fulfill the promise I gave Mason on his deathbed, but instead, I pulled my comforter over my head and wallowed in the fact that I'd already screwed up by not monitoring Damon. My comforter was pulled back to expose my head, and I heard Damon ask, "Are you coming out from under there?"

"Leave me alone. I want to be by myself."

I felt my bed dip down further as he laid on it behind me. If he so much as tried to hold me right now, I would stake him. Luckily for him, he decided to stay on his back and about a foot away from me. "I can't do that."

Starting to feel a little surly, I asked, "Why not?" 

"I think this girl needs me more right now."

I tugged the comforter back over my head and grumbled, "I don't need you. I don't need anybody."

"That sounded awfully close to whining, and my Evie doesn't whine . . . unless she's pretending to be Katherine. You do a much better Katherine than you do Elena by the way."

"I don't know Elena . . . And I'm not whining. I'm wallowing."

"Wallowing?"

Exhaling a defeated breath, I closed my eyes. "That's right. Wallowing, and I'd like to do it alone."

"You don't wallow."

"No, Katherine doesn't wallow, and I'm guessing Elena doesn't. I most certainly do wallow in self-hatred and sadness, so if you don't mind, I'd like to get back to it."

"You barely even knew him."

"That doesn't mean that what I did was right. It was wrong. Even if it's what he wanted, it was wrong."

"You should've let me do it."

"No, I shouldn't have. It was my responsibility, not yours, and don't you ever get tired of the rest of them using you to do their dirty work? They think something bad needs to happen, and they turn to you, but then they judge you for it."

"I don't know - "

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. Where were they today? It took all of them to get the moonstone out of the well? They left you alone with Mason knowing what you had to do to get whatever information out of him that you needed about Katherine and tacitly condoning it, because they didn't want to be the ones to have to deal with it . . . all of them except Jeremy, and even he looked at you like you were the worst of the worst as he was walking out the door. The next time they see you, maybe they'll throw an appreciative glance your way, because they have to keep their attack dog happy, but then they'll swat you with a newspaper the first time you do something they don't like without running it by them first."

I felt him roll towards me before he pulled the comforter back down. I turned my head to look up at him through my messed up hair, and he said, "Is that how you really see us?"

"I hate them. I hate them all."

"But not me?"

I turned my head to look back at the wall. "Just leave me alone, Damon. Go find Elena, so she can reward you with a scratch behind the ears."

"Hey!" He pulled my shoulder back to make me look at him, and from the look on his face, I could see he was mad "You can take it out on me all you want, but Elena didn't do - "

I reached up to lightly touch the side of his face and felt a hot tear roll down my cheek as I quietly said, "It's heartbreaking that you have no idea how sad that sentiment is." The tiredness returned, and I rolled away from him and closed my eyes whispering, "Just leave me be."

He was quiet for about 10 seconds, and I guess it was too much to hope that it'd be longer than that. "What'd you mean by that?"

"I want to be by myself."

"No . . . what you said before . . . What's sad?"

"You said I could take it out on you all I wanted . . . That's how you see yourself, like a punching bag, and you hate it, but you take it . . . even make people treat you like one by being seen as the villain, and it's all so you can have some kind of attention, because bad attention is better than none, and you obviously got no attention from your father when you were a kid unless it was the bad kind . . . I'm guessing that's why Katherine was able to beguile you with just the tiniest bit of affection." 

"You're making it really hard for me not to kill you right now."

"You won't . . . The truth hurts, and it makes you furious, but there's a part of you that wants someone to know your truth. The two sides will battle it out, and the part that needs someone to know you will win out."

"Eve - "

"I'm in no mood to sugar coat things, so if you're staying, that's what you're agreeing to hear."

"No, you're going out of your way to push me away."

"What gave you that idea? Was it me telling you to leave, or me saying I wanted to be alone?"

He yanked my blankets off of me, while muttering, "That's it."

I glared up at him and yelled, "What are you doing?!" as he went to pick me up.

"I'm getting us out of here." I wasn't strong enough to fight him off without a weapon on me and soon found myself tossed over his shoulder as he walked us out of my room. 

I felt like the world was moving a million miles a second and only briefly had the chance to register that I felt like I was going to be sick when I found myself flying through the air and landing in a large body of water. He'd literally, just run me outside using his vampire speed and thrown me in the nearest lake, creek, pond . . . whatever it was, I choked and sputtered as I clawed my way to the surface and saw him having a good laugh up on the bank. "What the fuck are you doing?!"

That only made him laugh harder, so when I swam close enough to the shore to stand, I reached back with my arms to launch as much water in his direction as possible. When the water fell where he should've been standing, he was nowhere in sight. Taking the few steps I needed to almost make it to the bank, I watched my surroundings and listened for anything that would tell me that he was near. He wouldn't come into the water. He wouldn't want to get his boots wet. I didn't see or hear anything, so I thought maybe he was done getting back at me and cautiously stepped onto the bank. The second I did, I felt him beside me. "Looking for me?" In the time it took me to turn my head in his direction, he'd grabbed me and thrown me back into the water again. This time, when I resurfaced, I stayed where I was, treading water, while I watched him. He smiled. "You look a little like the girl in that Ring movie right now." 

"I was thinking I'm more like a crocodile waiting for the vampire to get too close to the water hole."

He smiled again, just as genuinely as he had the first time. "So, you're thinking of ways to get your revenge . . . plotting my demise?"

"Absolutely."

"Good. Hold onto that."

I swam a little closer. "I know what you're doing, and it won't work. I'm allowed to feel bad."

"Yeah, you're aloud to feel a lot of things, but what I saw in there . . . that is not okay."

"You're one to talk."

"Hey, I smash stuff, kill people, or drink, and then I suck it up and get on with things . . . I do not wallow . . . How is you wallowing in your bed any different than you wallowing out here in the pond? It's not . . . you're still a complete mess, and you know what, Eve? You're in the wrong profession. If you can't handle doing what it takes to - "

"I can handle it just fine. You wouldn't want me to be able to do what I do without a heart. I've seen what that looks like. It looks a lot like my Dad . . . my Mom . . . Katherine." 

I half-heartedly splashed some water in his direction as I got out of the water, but it didn't even make it to him, because I was more concerned with going back into the house. A second later he was blocking my path. "If this is what happens every time you kill someone, then - "

"Just the good ones, or when I do things that are so bad that even the bad ones don't deserve it."

"If you let it get to you like this, it's eventually going to make you hesitate in a situation where you can't afford to do that. It's going to get you killed."

"I'm already dead, Damon . . . It doesn't matter - "

"Yes, it does! You're not even trying to find a solution where you walk out of whatever your parents have got you doing alive, and it's making you reckless, like you think you're invincible because it's not whatever the hell is supposed to happen yet, and you're untouchable until then."

"I'm not any different. You just never knew me until - "

"You went into a house full of vampires alone. You can't tell me your Dad ever let you do that."

"I've been hunting by myself for a while now, and I went into that house, because you wanted me to do it."

"Yeah, but that's before I knew I didn't want you dead, and even then I thought it was crazy."

I looked away from him again. "I needed to get you to trust me enough to bring me in on things, and it worked, didn't it? And you shouldn't not want me dead. You're not supposed to - "

"Care? God, you really are that naive." I continued not looking at him, while my jaw clenched, and he tried to get me talking again by saying, "You went after a werewolf alone on a full moon."

"I couldn't let my partner get bitten, so it was better if you weren't there."

"And yet doing it alone let him find out about you, and Katherine was all too happy to fill him in on who you are." 

I ducked my head and said, "I know he didn't see me. It must've been my voice."

It didn't disprove that I was reckless, so still trying to prove his point, Damon put his hand on my shoulder, and said, "And I know you well enough now to know you mean it when you say you're going after Katherine." His tone got softer as he stepped closer to me and added, "And you're not telling me anything I need to know to help you, but you are flat out telling me that when the time comes, you're going to make sure I can't be there, because I'll have to be with Elena, and I can tell the clock is ticking. You're running out of time."

My breath caught in my throat, and I turned my head to look away from him. "This is why you've been freezing me out since the full moon? It doesn't have anything to do with me one-upping you. You - "

He ignored my question and asked one of his own. "How long?"

"Less than I thought . . . I wanted to be able to graduate . . . I don't think that's going to happen now."

"Then tell me - " 

I looked up him and said, "I already have . . . after today, you have everything you need to put the pieces together. I didn't think about you being there when I was talking to Mason, but you were, and every word I said to him was the truth."

"But you were mostly talking about - " I licked my bottom lip to keep from saying anything, while he worked it out, and he said, "The moonstone and a werewolf . . . she wants to trade them for her freedom from whoever she's been running from all this time . . . But she doesn't just need those, or you and Elena wouldn't be involved. She must need a doppleganger too. What else?"

"What do you think? What would complete the quadfecta of supernatural entities that you know about?"

Damon's eyes narrowed in thought. "Well, there's no shortage of vampires around here . . . and a witch to do the spell." Looking at me he shrugged. "So, we'll just do what you said and drop the moonstone into the middle of the ocean. Problem solved, right?"

"Sure, but I'm not going to get my hopes up. 14 witches all said the same thing even though they had no way of knowing one another." 

Damon stepped to the side and threw his arm around my shoulders, while he asked, "Do you really want to go back into the house where you killed Mason right now?"

I looked in the direction of the boarding house. "No." 

"Well, then here's what we're going to do. I'm going to go in and get you a change of clothes, some booze, and what we need to make a fire. When I get back, you will get a fire going, change, and tell me exactly what these witches said. I need to hear it all."


	21. Business Partners

We got the witch-talk out of the way first at our little campfire, but somehow got off topic after that. I giggled at the end of one of Damon's stories about when he was a kid and put my head on his shoulder before he said, "I didn't think you were serious about never drinking, but two shots and you're done."

"You really think that with two controlling parents, I'd ever find a way to get away with it . . . especially after you turned my Mom into a vampire?"

He was quiet for a few moments, while he stared at the fire. "If I'd known about you, I wouldn't have done that."

"Sure you would have. People having kids isn't off limits for you. How many people have you killed with kids?"

"As far as I know, none."

I glanced up at him and shook my head. "That's because you never stopped to ask them questions first, and the reason you didn't is because you didn't care if they had kids or not."

"‘Touché . . . With you . . . Did she ever - "

"She's never hurt me." 

He looked unsure. "That you know about."

"I never gave her a reason to lose her temper with me. If I said something she didn't like, I'd take it back straight away. I know that doesn't necessarily mean anything, but I think when things got to be too much for her, she sent me to stay with my Dad."

"And he took you out hunting and let you get bitten by other vampires instead. Great parenting by everyone involved . . . And what I meant was that if I'd known you, I wouldn't have turned her." He waited a beat and then said, "Have you been taking the vervain?"

I shook my head. "I told you she never compelled me."

"Yeah, but you weren't sure, and it doesn't mean that they didn't brainwash you from a young age, which they clearly did." He waited a second and then looked at my hand. "Let me see."

"Let you see, what?"

"The entire reason you went off the vervain . . . You're eyes aren't gong back to normal, and if it was that, then - " 

I used the zipper on my hooded sweatshirt to cut the tip of my finger. When I looked up at him, he was cringing away from me. "That bad?"

"No, just give a guy some warning before you do something like that." When he looked down at the blood trickling down my finger, his jaw was set, but I could tell he had it under control. "You didn't have to do it like that either. Just a drop is all I need." 

I shrugged and looked at my finger. "I didn't have anything else to cut it with since you left my stakes in my room . . . so what's the prognosis?"

He leaned closer to look at my hand. "Well, you're human."

"A doppleganger."

"Whatever." Taking my hand, so he could pull it closer, he said, "But your blood doesn't smell like Elena's."

"So? We're different people."

"Hm." He seemed lost in thought and then glanced at me. "May I?"

"Gross. I'm not letting you - "

He gave me a devilish grin and stuck his tongue out to taste the blood at the base of my finger. I tried to pull my hand away, but he held it tight, and then the look on his face changed to one of confusion before he looked at my blood again. "Strange."

That got my attention, and I sat closer, so I could examine my finger with him. I didn't know what he was seeing, smelling, or tasting that was strange, so I whispered, "What?"

When he looked at me, it was like he'd forgotten I was there, and then he plastered a smile on his face and let my hand go, while throwing his arm around my shoulders. "Nothing. It just tastes the way it smells."

"And that's strange?"

"No. Usually, you can get a pretty good idea of what blood will taste like by it's scent."

"Okay."

"And with Elena, her blood smells - " His eyes narrowed, while he thought of how to describe it. "Rich . . . like a steak dinner with all the trimmings, and yours is . . ." He used his free hand to take mine and wipe the blood on his jeans while saying, "Like a ham sandwich. It'd get the job done if I was hungry, but I'm not exactly going to go looking for it if I have something else in the fridge."

Oh. I took my hand away from him, looking a little offended. "So, I'm a ham sandwich?!" 

He laughed when he got a look at my face, and there was a twinkle in his eyes before he pulled me into a light headlock and said, "You're the only human I know that would be offended because I said I wouldn't eat you."

I wrapped my arms around him and mumbled into his side, "A ham sandwich? Couldn't have been something like a chicken quesadilla or - "

He laughed again. "There's not enough flavor there to call you that."

"So, I'm just a plain old boring ham sandwich."

"Exactly."

I glanced up at him and said, "What does that mean for our experiment?"

Resting his head on mine, he said, "I don't know, but if a vampire was expecting a steak dinner and got you instead, he'd know the difference . . . maybe the vervain hides it. I wouldn't know. I don't drink people who drink vervain, but maybe if this guy is 1000 years old, like you said, then he has built up a tolerance for it. Tolerance or no, my guess is, he'd still mostly taste the vervain, and it'd be easier for you to be there in Elena's place without him knowing."

"So, my parents were right to have me on it."

"No . . . I mean, yeah, if it keeps other vampires from biting you, but that's not why they want you on it. The whole purpose is so you can die in someone else's place, and," He sighed and said, "I don't understand that."

"I don't know how your Dad could kill you and Stefan just because you were sympathizers, but I guess he thought it was better than the alternative . . . like he had to kill you to protect you. That doesn't make it right, and it's not something I would do, but that's the problem with people loving you. They tend to hurt you in the name of that love."

"Yeah . . . so, you really meant what you said that night."

"What night?"

"The night I almost killed you . . . you said something similar that night."

"Damon, I'm almost always honest."

"No, you're not. What about the full moon?"

"I told you I wouldn't go after Katherine, and I didn't. I told you I'd take the phone you got me, and I did. I warned you that I was sneaky and that I play up my naivety. I never lied."

"A lie by omission is still a lie."

"Sure, if you want to see it that way."

"Everybody sees it that way, Eve, that's why it's got it's called a _lie_ by omission." He pulled my hair back over my shoulder and said, "What you said earlier . . . about my Dad and Katherine - "

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said it."

"But you think it."

I tightened my arms around him and jokingly said, "Does thinking about what I said put you in the mood for a ham sandwich?"

"I'm never in the mood for a ham sandwich . . . I don't think anybody is."

"I'll have you know, I've been bitten plenty, and I never had any complaints."

He exhaled a laugh and said, "That's because they didn't live long enough to complain."

"Mmm . . . You know Katherine is the one who taught me what to do if a vampire bit me. She said she was tired of seeing me come back from my Dad's with fang marks in my neck and told me what to do when she bit me. I stood there waiting for it, but she was expecting me to put up a fight, so she wanted to know what I was doing. I told her I always played bait, and that's how I always got bitten, because that was my role on hunts then. I'd barely turned 15, so I guess my Dad didn't want me doing any more than that . . . And she told me to never see myself as bait . . . Let others think that I am and use that to my advantage, but I had to know that I was more than that. I know it was so she could try to form more of a bond and find out what was going on with my parents, but the skills I learned that day came in pretty useful the next time a vampire bit me, and I haven't been bitten since."

"I don't think I realized until today how well you know her. I know you said you got along, but then she stabbed you, and you made it seem more like you tolerated one another, but today . . . you had her down pat, and even after he figured out who you were, it's like you got into her head and knew what she was planning. Unless . . . did she tell you - "

"No. I just knew more parts of the puzzle, so I put them together to make a complete picture."

"Did she ever talk about me?"

"Maybe a little, like she mentioned you when she told me about the people she used to know in Mystic Falls after she found out I'd be moving to town." 

"Did she talk about Stefan?"

"A little more . . . yeah." I felt his body tense, so I quickly added, "But she did give me a talking to about you before she stabbed me."

"Do I want to know?"

I looked up at him, and it wasn't sarcasm or a joke that I saw. He was trusting my judgement on whether it's something he would be able to handle. "Um . . . People are like toys to her, and she doesn't like others to play with her toys . . . She made a point of saying that she'd noticed that I contacted you, and she told me to be careful around you . . . I got the distinct impression she was trying to warn me off of one of her toys."

He was staring at the fire, and something about the look on his face made him seem so young and almost innocent, but then he had to go and ruin it by opening his mouth. "The bitch doesn't want me, but she doesn't want me to have anyone else in my life either . . . I hate her, Evie. I want her dead. I'd say I want it to be a long, slow, painful death, but she'd probably find a way to get out of it, so I just want her dead."

I didn't know if I wanted her dead. I wanted to get back at her, sure, but dead? "I understand."

He looked from the fire to me. "Don't pretend to be her again . . . You're better when you're you." I ducked my head, and he said, "And you don't have to stop yourself from feeling guilty when things like what happened today happen. Just don't let it eat you up the way that you were."

"I talked him right out of wanting to live and straight into wanting to die."

"Don't do that. Don't change what happened, so you come out a monster. We both saw what he really wanted before you even told him all the ways Katherine screwed him over. What you did was give him a reason to want to live by threatening Tyler, but then you said you'd take care of Tyler for him, and he was ready to let go. You gave him peace, and you made sure the last thing he saw was her face . . . It wasn't an easy thing for you to do, but you did it anyway. You did a good thing."

Nuzzling into his side, I closed my eyes and asked, "Then why do I feel so bad?"

"You're asking the wrong guy. I'm guessing it's because you're human."

"Since you've been a vampire, you've never done something that - "

"Made me feel the way you do about killing Mason?" I nodded, and he said, "Honestly?" I nodded again, and he rested his head on mine before saying, "If you tell anyone, I'll kill you just to prove to them you're wrong." I nodded in understanding, and he said, "Yeah, I've felt like that . . . a few times. Trying to kiss Elena and killing Jeremy were just the most recent, but usually when it happens, I turn off my humanity, so I don't have to feel it. I'm working really hard right now not to do that. When I do flip that switch, I do even worse things, so when my humanity switches back on it's 10x worse."

I whispered, "I won't tell a soul," and he exhaled a laugh. 

"I haven't even told you any of the things I did yet."

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want. Just knowing I'm not alone in feeling like this is enough."

He reached down for the bottle on the ground between his feet and said, "Nah, that's not how this works. I tell you something I've done. You tell me something you've done, and we drink, while we're doing it."

"Why?"

Taking a swig before handing me the bottle, Damon said, "Because I said so. It's what business partners do. They sit around campfires and get drunk, talking about stuff they don't say to anyone else." 

"We're not friends."

His eyebrows rose expectantly until I took a drink from the bottle and handed it back to him, and then he said, "I said business partners, not friends . . . and how would you know? You've never had either one."

"I'm not an idiot."

"Nope . . . just a boring ham sandwich with weird eyes, so lay it on me. Give me one of the worst things you've ever done. I bet I can top all of them."

"But only with the things you really feel bad about . . . not just bad stuff you don't care about, or we'll be out here all week."

"Deal. I'll still have you beat . . . but you're going first."

"So you can test the waters and see how bad you really need to go to beat me? LIke if you think mine is all tame, you can pull out your mostly tame stories and still beat me, but I never have to hear the truly terrible things."

He smiled, and I knew I was right. Well, I guess as far as trust building exercises went, this wasn't the worst idea, and it was taking my mind off of what I'd done to Mason. It did involve delving into other things I'd done that were worse, but at the same time, I'd never talked about those things to anyone, and maybe it'd help to get it out with someone that wouldn't judge.


	22. Getting Ready for the Ball

"You're not getting ready yet?" 

I looked up from my book to see Damon standing in my room wearing a tux. "I am ready. I just need to put in those miniature torture devices you got me today, and I'm good to go." I wasn't too keen on wearing the contacts, but maybe he was right. They might have given me away with Mason as much as my scent did. It was better to err on the side of caution and wear them. If that was the case, then I should get used to them for when I really needed to wear them.

Damon shook his head. "You're not going to the ball dressed like that."

I looked down at my jeans and over-sized sweatshirt. "Why not? The last thing I want is to be mistaken for Katherine when your friends are all planning to kill her."

"There's dressed down, and then there's looking like a homeless person." 

"I don't look like a homeless person. I look like a girl that just broke up with her boyfriend." 

He bit his bottom lip in thought. "Nah, Elena wouldn't fall apart like that." Bringing his hand up to circle above his head, he asked, "And what is going on with this?"

I reached up to feel my hair. It was in a messy bun. "I'm being practical. This way it stays out of my way."

"You still can't find your brush, can you?" I smiled, and Damon relaxed before turning to my wardrobe. "Well, if you insist on going dressed down, at least do it right." He tossed a fitted, three-quarter length sleeved, brown cardigan in my direction followed by a white spaghetti strap tank top and a pair of brown leather shoes onto my bed. "There. At least you're wearing something Elena might be caught dead in."

I placed my book on the bed, careful to keep my page, and grabbed the stuff he'd gotten. Retreating to the bathroom to change, I was back a few minutes later only to have him walk up to me, like he was a painter unhappy with his work. Pulling my hair out of the bun, he frowned and shoved a comb at me. "Use this."

I made a face. "Is this yours?"

Rolling his eyes, he answered, "Yes, it's mine, and I don't have cooties. Just use it. You look like you belong in an asylum, not a ball, and you're the one that insisted on babysitting Tyler Lockwood. He's known Elena since they were kids. You need to look the part." 

Taking the comb, so I could work on the tangles at the ends first, I turned away from him and made my way back into the bathroom, so I could see what I was doing. When I was done, and my hair was straight, he was standing right behind me, holding something in my direction. I sighed, and reached back to take them before setting them on the counter, opening the box, and washing my hands before attempting to grab one of the contacts. Holding it up in front of me, I wasn't quite sure how to go about doing this. "What if they don't fit?"

"They will."

"What if I cut my eye?"

"You won't."

"What if - "

"Do you want me to do it?" 

I threw him a harsh look in the mirror and shook my head before leaning forward to watch what I was doing. Pulling my eyelids open, I steadied the contact on my index finger and lightly tried to tap it into my eye. It didn't stick on the first or even the third try, but it looked like it was fourth time lucky . . . or not. I hissed as I felt the foreign object digging into my eye and brought my hand up to cover it. "It burns."

"Stop being a baby. You just need to get used to them . . . or you can stay in this room forever, because nobody will believe you're Elena without them."

Trying to blink the thing into submission, I looked in the mirror and saw a tear streaking down my face. "I've fooled a few people already."

"But not for any real length of time. Come on, you're half-way there, and we need to put a move on."

I looked down disheartened at the remaining contact and nodded. He was right. Maybe it'd be easier than this the next time I had to wear them. I repeated the same process with the second contact, and got it in two tries, but when I looked up at the mirror, I was less than happy. "I can't see anything."

Turning me to face him, Damon took my face in his hands and had a look. "Can you see me?" 

"You're blurry."

"Blink for me." 

I did a couple of times. "Okay, I think . . . I think that's a little better."

Examining my eyes, he muttered, "I'd never notice them if I didn't know they were there." After a brief pause he added, "I think I already miss the toffee though."

"Toffee?"

"Yeah, your eyes remind me of toffee."

"So, I'm a ham sandwich with toffee eyes . . . for a guy who claims not to want to eat me, you sure do come up with a lot of food comparisons to describe me."

"Nah. I don't like toffee. It gets stuck in my fangs." I laughed, and he gave me a soft smile. "There she is."

"Katherine or Elena?"

"Neither. You're the only one that at least pretends to think I'm funny." 

Stepping back, he asked if I was done, and I quickly said, "If we're doing this right, then almost." Reaching for a bag on my sink, I pulled out a few products and tried to get the finishing touches right. A little bit of eyeshadow, a dash of mascara, some eye liner, and a touch of lip gloss. When I was done, I glanced at Damon in the mirror. "How do I look?"

"Creepy." I quickly looked back at my reflection to see if there was something that I'd gotten wrong, and he added, "You look the part . . . It's just that when I look at you, all I see are the differences. It's the same with Elena. With her, I see the differences between she and Katherine. With you, it's the differences between both of them, but all it takes is a few minor changes, and you could be either one."

Sighing as I added a little more lip gloss, I said, "Well, that is the plan," before putting my stuff back where it belonged in the bag and stepping away from the mirror. 

Walking out of the room, Damon held his arm out for me to take. "Your carriage awaits."

I took his arm and excitedly asked, "Are we taking my car?" 

He paused briefly before opening the door to my room and ushering me out ahead of him. "No, Cinderella, if Katherine sees it, she'll know you're there . . . Remember the plan."

He offered me his arm again, and I took it while saying, "We go in separately. I go find Tyler to make sure nobody attacks him. You and everyone else goes to find Katherine."

"And if everything goes to plan, she'll be dead, we get to keep the moonstone, and then you can drive off in your car to throw it in the nearest ocean."

"IF everything goes to plan . . . Remind me again why we don't just skip all that and get rid of the moonstone?"

"Something about Stefan and Elena not wanting Katherine to rip this town apart until it rains blood."

"Don't give them all the credit. I'm not going to let a bunch of people die so I can live, and I know you wouldn't let anyone, but especially Katherine, destroy a town you think of as home. So, this one was an easy choice for both of us."

"You don't really need me to be your morality police at all, do you?"

Honestly? I sighed as he opened the front door to the boarding house. "It's only an act half the time. I admit that my ideas on right and wrong may have been a little skewed by my upbringing, so you're not out of a job yet."

"Well, you turned out pretty well all things considered."

"I've still done far worse things than you did by the time you were my age."

"Yeah, but then I went to war when I wasn't a whole lot older than you, and nobody comes out of war looking good."

"I can't even imagine what that would've been like . . . like did they really just hack arms and legs off with an unsterile saw?"

"Yeah," He hesitated, like he was remembering it and then said, "Yeah, there was a lot of that. It probably killed more men than the battles. Well, that and people getting sick."

"A lot's changed since then, and you've seen it all happen. What do you think it'll be like in another 150 years?"

Looking over the car at me, Damon asked, "Why? Are you thinking about sticking around until then?"

I shrugged before opening my door. "No. Just curious. Like was there one thing since you've been alive that really excited you when you found out about it?"

He waited until we were both in the car before saying, "I don't think anyone's ever asked me that."

"Well, was there? The automobile, telephones, radios, movies, televisions . . . the moon landing . . . disco?"

He burst out laughing. "Disco?" He chuckled a few more times, while he started the car. "I was into the punk scene, not disco."

I'd mostly said it to get some kind of reaction, since he hadn't jumped on any of the other things I'd listed. "Yeah, the leather jacket doesn't give that away at all."

He smirked at my sarcasm before saying, "I don't know that any of those things you listed made much of an impact. I made sure I got my hands on the latest inventions whenever they came out, but that was mostly because I could use them to hunt. If cars are new, and I have a car, then I'm going to have my pick of hangers-on for dinner." 

Well, that was a shame. He'd seen all these great things through nothing more than the prism of being a vampire, a vampire biding his time until he could get Katherine out of the tomb. "Maybe things will be different now."

"How so?"

"You're free. Not of being a vampire, but of being on a one-man crusade to save your damsel in distress. It's like you've been alive all this time, but you were waiting to really start living until you got Katherine out of the tomb. She wasn't in there, but it doesn't change that your time of waiting is over." 

"Eve, I've been all around the world, and I have had my fun, but let's go with your theory that I haven't really been living. How would you propose, I start?"

I rolled my eyes as I looked out the passenger-side window. "There's no need to get testy."

"That's not an answer. I'm waiting in anticipation for what - "

"For one, you're bonding with Stefan."

"I'm not - "

Turning to look at him, I cut him off. "Tell me that when Stefan said you weren't going to kill Katherine, because he was, you didn't feel closer to him than you've felt in a very long time."

Ignoring my point, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "You weren't even there. How - " His forehead smoothed as he said, "You were using your little listening device." Mouth marginally sinking into a frown, he added, "I don't think I like you spying on me in my own home."

"Thought that's why I was living there."

"No . . . No, you're living there to spy on Stefan and Elena, not me."

"Mm . . . I can spy on who I like, and it doesn't change that the two of you are working together on this, making battle plans, and generally just being a team. You're on the same page for once." Before he could say or do anything, I quickly added, "And don't sabotage it because I said that, or - "

"Or what?"

"Or I'll drain all the rodents in the land, dump out your blood bags, and replace it with their blood. No matter which one you pick, it'll be rabbit or squirrel, and if you go to get fresh blood, I'll get there first and put rat blood in it, and if you go after people - "

"You'll stake me?"

"No, I'll fang block you on each and every one." I looked of to the side in thought. "That might actually be fun. We should try it some time . . . make a game of it. See who comes out on top by the end of the night."

"Eve?"

"Hm?"

I looked back at him, and he said, "You keep coming up with ideas like that, and we might have to be best friends." I frowned, and he returned it with a slight smile before looking back at the road and saying, "But I don't exactly think it's in keeping with your philosophy on 'the lightest shade of gray.'" He might have a point. I crossed my arms over my chest and slumped back in my seat, but then I heard him laugh. "Are you pouting?"

Looking out the window, I shook my head. "No . . . It's just that I was already coming up with a scoring system, and we could pick the targets beforehand to make it harder for you, and . . . " Sighing, I said, "It doesn't matter. The morality police struck again."

"I sound like a buzz kill."

"You kind of are."

"It's just something I'm trying out. Whenever in doubt, I ask myself what Elena would do . . . and I'm pretty sure she'd never agree to your game."

"Well, then Elena's a buzz kill."

I felt him watching me as he asked, "Do you really want to play it?" like he'd do it if I wanted, and I sighed.

"Yes . . . But we can't. I suppose it'd probably be wrong, and I don't want to go against your little Elena-conscience. The number of innocents you've killed has really dropped off lately, and if that's why, then on behalf of all humanity, I implore you to continue."

We were quiet for a minute, and then he said, "We could play a variation of your game . . . no biting. Maybe compulsion? You have to keep me from compelling them to do something stupid - "

"That's kind of mean, isn't it?"

"And biting them isn't?!"

I shrugged a shoulder. "I'd rather be bitten than forced to do something stupid."

"Yeah, but you're weird . . . Alright, then I'll compel them to do something better with their lives."

"But if I try to stop you, doesn't that make me an asshole?"

He laughed before looking at me. "Yes. Yes, it does . . . I get to be the good guy for once, and you can be the bad guy."

"Hm . . . Like cops and robbers. I'll be a robber . . . rob them of their dreams, but dreams they never would've tried to attain if not for you. Interesting." I think I liked the sound of that. Plus, it gave him a chance to put his vampire skills to good use for a change, and it'd be while he was having fun. Win-win.


	23. Mutually Assured Distruction

Damon dropped me off a good way back from the main house on the Lockwood's estate, so I could make my way around and sneak in one of the side entrances. I wouldn't get in there wearing street clothes if I went in the front or back. It really was a high class affair. I looked for an opening, and found a trellis on the side that I could use to climb up to the second floor, but on my silent approach, I went past a window and saw a teenage boy talking to an older woman in what looked like a study. He looked familiar. 

Pulling out my phone to get a look at the picture Damon had sent me of Tyler, since my dossiers had all gone up in flames too, I smiled when I saw it was him. Glancing at the boy in the window, I thought I could see a passing resemblance to Mason, except he looked so young. "If you're out there somewhere, Mason, I'm trying . . . I know her. I know she'll want to get the moonstone and her werewolf at the same time, so it divides our attention, and she'll get at least one of them. If you want to send a little luck my way, feel free, and I'll pass it onto him. I think he's going to need it."

I saw Tyler and the woman leave the study and glanced back at the trellis. It was my back up option. The study seemed quiet, so maybe it was off-limits to the party, and there'd be fewer people going in there. It made a good entry point if I could just get the window open, so that's what I spent the next 15 minutes trying to do, but I was never very good at breaking and entering. I usually left that to my Dad. Eventually, I just picked up a rock and smashed a small hole big enough for my hand to fit through, so I could unlock the window and swing it open. Phase 1 of my mission accomplished.

Once I was inside, it was an entirely different story. I couldn't exactly go into the party to look for Tyler, because I couldn't be seen by anybody, but I could quietly traipse around the halls where nobody seemed to be going, listen, and wait for a better opportunity to present itself. That opportunity came about 30 minutes later when I heard laughter and a few people coming down the hall around the corner from me. I quickly dodged into the nearest room and waited for them to pass. Recognizing Tyler as one of the four, I issued a silent thank you to Mason and waited until the coast was clear to come out of my hiding spot, so I could follow them, and then ran into another room to hide when I heard them start to come back. What the hell were they doing? "I think thanking you was a little premature, Mason." 

I waited until they were gone and went to investigate to see if it was something I could use. When I got to the room they'd gone into, I took in the changes in environment and rolled my eyes. Typical high school high jinx. They were drinking . . . They'd left their glasses and the alcohol behind. If that was their first drink of the night, they'd definitely be back, so I meandered in, grabbed the bottle, and a glass before sitting on the couch. I took a sip and made a face. Gross. I wasn't planning on getting drunk or anywhere close to it, but for my idea to work, I needed to appear drunk. I just couldn't drink anymore of that stuff, so I took a sip, swished it around in my mouth, like mouthwash and then spat it into a waste bin near the desk. If my eyes weren't burning from the contacts, they were after that. Maybe if they messed up my make up just a little, it'd help me pull this off.

They came back maybe 15 minutes later, and I'd done my mouth wash routine a couple more times to keep up the hint of alcohol on my breath. I heard them coming, so I quickly jumped back on the couch and bent forward at the waist, so I could put my head between my knees, while I tried to work up some tears. "Hey, nobody's supposed to be in here!" I looked up and Tyler changed his tone. "Elena?"

"Tyler, I . . . Oh God, I'm sorry." I put the glass down and tried to stand up, stumbling as I did, so he had to catch me before I landed on my face.

"Hey, hey, hey . . . I've got you. What's wrong?"

Scrunching up my features before burying my face in his chest, I sobbed out, "I shouldn't be here . . . I wasn't planning on coming. It's just . . . with Stefan, and . . . I saw him, and it's just so hard. I - " I cut myself off with some added sobbing. 

"It's okay . . . If you want to stay in here with us you can. We're just having some drinks. The party's pretty boring." 

I hid my smile in his chest. I may not be able to lie, but I could act, and I could do it well. One of the perks of learning how to play bait and make it believable enough to draw in my prey. Boys like Tyler don't like to see girl's cry. He'd do anything to get me to stop, including not caring about what I was wearing or that I was in here 'stealing' his booze. Nodding, I swallowed back my fake tears and stood back. "Thanks, Tyler. You're a good friend."

"Not that good." I looked over at the blonde kid as he drank from a bottle and shrugged. "I mean he is the reason my Mom left town." That must be Matt. I think I'd seen him at Elena's a few times, but never up close. Tyler never went there, so it was understandable that I wouldn't have known who he was, but I should have recognized Matt. I just hadn't been paying attention to anyone other than Tyler. 

Putting what Damon had told me about the situation to good use, I defended Tyler. "That's not really fair, Matt. She took advantage of him."

He pointed his bottle at me and yelled. "What would you know about it, Elena?"

"Well, I know that she's a woman twice his age. Really, she was a predator in this situation, and - " 

"Shut up!"

Maybe it's not what Elena would say, but I was 'drunk' Elena right now, and I was allowed some liberties, so looking off to the side, while I ignored him, I said, "Actually, there's no doubt that she was a predator. He's not 18. He's not to blame."

"I said - "

Stepping in front of me, Tyler held his hands up in a non-confrontational way, while saying, "Whoa, hey . . . back off. She's just drunk, and so are you. Take it easy."

Shoving him, Matt yelled, "Do somethin' about it!" and the shove was hard enough that he pushed Tyler back on top of me. Was this the drink, or was it Katherine? Did it matter if the result was the same? Tyler was up in seconds and still trying to calm Matt down, but getting more agitated. 

Standing up to get between them, I tried being the calming voice of reason. "Guys, you're best friends. It doesn't have to be like this. Just talk it out . . . no fighting . . . Ah - " I felt a sharp pain in my back and took a few steps back, completely forgetting about the brewing fight, not that my words were really doing much good in getting them to stop staring one another down. Me being in pain seemed to at least snap one of them out of it.

"Elena? What's -" Tyler pulled his hand away from my back, where he'd put it to see if I was okay, and it was covered in blood. Looking at Matt, he immediately yelled, "Did you do this?!"

"I'd never hurt Elena! You must've done it, you sonofabitch!" 

Matt tackled Tyler and was throwing punches, and what's a girl to do in a situation like that? Looking around, I found a potted plant, picked it up, and snuck behind Matt before bringing it down hard on the back of his head and shoulders. He dropped like a sack of potatoes, and Tyler looked up at me in shock-horror, while he pushed his best friend's body off of him. "What did you do? Elena . . . what did you - 

I knelt down to feel Matt's neck. "He's still alive." 

Tyler gave me a look of relief before looking back down at Matt. "I didn't think he was going to stop."

"Yeah, I didn't - "

My body lunged forward as I felt another knife slice through my arm, and I almost missed the girl in the room muttering, "Matt failed. If Matt fails, I can't," but the important part is that I did hear it, so gritting my teeth against the pain in my back and arm, I launched myself towards the girl with the letter opener sneaking up on Tyler. Grabbing her wrist, I spun into her, made her drop the knife, then flipped her over my back. As soon as she hit the ground, I punched her hard in just the right place on the jaw, but I wasn't a vampire, so I may have had to do it twice to knock her out. 

Trying to catch my breath as I stood, I looked up to see Tyler backing away from me. "Who are you?"

Rolling my eyes, I thought that this was the reason these contacts didn't make a damn bit of difference. I just wasn't Elena. "What do you mean, Tyler? I told you I was taking self-defense classes, didn't I?"

He shook his head and looked at the two bodies on the floor. "No, you didn't . . . Why did you - "

"She was going to stab you."

"No. Why would she - Did she stab you?"

Getting to my feet, so I could approach, I said, "No, and she attacked you for the same reason Matt attacked you."

"They were drunk?"

"Sure, we'll go with that for now." 

"What the hell does that mean?!"

"Did your uncle tell you about the curse?"

"Yeah, it's all I've been able to think about." Going from looking distraught to confused to angry, he asked, "Wait, how did you know about that?" I couldn't answer. I was too busy doubling over as I felt something stab into my chest. It must've just been a couple of inches away from my heart. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I need to go." Cradling my arm to my chest to try and stop the bleeding and taking a shaky breath, I stumbled to the window and ignored my phone ringing in my pocket, because I wasn't done with Tyler yet. Trying to put some authority into my voice, I said, "Just stay away from both of them. If you don't, you'll wind up killing one . . . the way your uncle killed - "

"His best friend." 

Sticking my leg out the window, I thought about how I wasn't that far off in my assessment of who Katherine'd had Mason kill. Such a tragic tale. "Yeah . . . There are people out there that can hypnotize people into doing what they want . . . and werewolves are a hot commodity. Your friends have been hypnotized, so they won't stop trying until you activate the curse. Just - "

He grabbed my arm to pull me back into the room with a red hot fury. "How do you know my uncle killed his friend? How do you know about any of this, Elena?"

Sighing, I reached into my jeans pocket to grab what I needed and said, "Are you angry?"

"Yes, I'm - "

"Black out angry?"

"How the fuck do you know - " 

I jammed the syringe I'd been palming into his neck. He wasn't a vampire, so it wasn't vervain. It wasn't wolfsbane either. It was however a human sedative that I'd insisted Damon get me, and it worked just fine. Tyler's knees buckled out from under him, and I let him fall to the ground, while I stepped back and made my way out the window. When I got to the edge of the woods, I fell to the ground and pulled my phone out of my pocket. It wouldn't stop ringing.

"Damon?"

It sounded like he was talking to someone else when he said, "I knew you were lying . . . She's - "

I felt a sharp pain in my thigh and growled, "Ah, what the fuck is happening?"

"You felt that?"

"Yes, I fucking felt it along with about a million other fucking things. What is it?"

"We've got ears on us." 

Fucking vampires, and their fucking hearing. I really appreciated that he was still trying to keep our secret despite the circumstances, but I knew my voice was too weak and scratchy to be identifiable as Elena or Katherine . . . female, sure, but that's all they'd be able to pick up from it. "Does my cursing offend their delicate sensibilities?"

He exhaled a laugh and said, "Yeah, Stefan's blushing right now."

I smiled, and then moaned, "Let me guess . . . What happens to her happens to me."

"Something like that."

"She's trying to out me."

"Yeah, she's doing a pretty good job of it."

"Without giving too much away."

"How'd you know?"

"She wants to use the mystery . . . as a distraction. If they're trying to figure out who I am . . . the attention is off her." I reached into the back of my jeans to grab my favorite stake. If she was connected to me, then I was betting it was a two way street. "Ask if her if she expected this." 

"No, I know what you're thinking, and - " Ignoring Damon, I kept my phone between my shoulder and ear, while I raised the stake high above my lower abdomen and brought it down full force using both hands. I curled in on myself because of the pain, but it was so worth it to hear that scream on the other end of the line. That one was for stabbing me.

I could still hear Damon's voice coming out of the phone even though it'd fallen to the ground. "Okay, you've had your fun . . . got your revenge. Why don't you - "

Ignoring him again, I giggled a little drunkenly from the pain before raising the stake a little higher up my abdomen, taking a few breaths to calm myself and thrusting it into my stomach again. At the scream she let out that time, I issued a full-on evil laugh. Damon was right. Opportunities present themselves, and you just can't pass them up. That one was for Mason.

"Hey, hey, hey, listen to me . . . You've got her where you want her. She's scared. I can see it. Just - " She wasn't scared. She didn't get scared. She planned and connived her way out of any death scenario. Not this time. Closing my eyes as I raised the stake again, I brought it even higher up my abdomen, like I was creating a slow painful line up to my heart. "Are you listening to me?!"

 _No, Damon, I'm not. This one is for you._ I used the strength I had left to do stab myself again, and I wasn't so sure that the scream I heard was really worth the pain that time. "Eve, you crazy little psycho! Stop!"

Too weak to worry about him saying my name in front of Stefan, I rolled onto my side and spoke into the phone under my head. "You wanted slow and painful. I'm delivering."

"No! Not like this."

Why not? If she was dead, Tyler's friends wouldn't be compelled anymore, so he'd be less likely to trigger the curse. My obligation to Mason would have been fulfilled. There'd be no reason for Damon not to get rid of the moonstone if Katherine wasn't trying to get it. If he threw it in the ocean, Elena would be safe. There'd be no need for me. "Solves everything."

"No. No, we'll find another way . . . Where are you?"

"It needs to be - " 

I heard him growl and then something large, like a table or chair, sounded like it was being hurled against the wall. "I said NO! Tell me where you are!"

"You can't get here . . . you're trapped."

"I'll send someone to you."

"No."

"Eve, I swear - "

"Get rid of the moonstone for me."

"I will track both of your parents down and rip their hearts out!" I slumped, and he said, "Are you listening to me now?" I didn't say anything. "I'll take that as yes. Where are you?"

"I'm not telling you."

"Yes, you are." Turning away from the phone, he yelled, "Where the hell have you been, Jeremy? Go find your witchy friend and tell her - "

"I'm right here, Damon. You can tell me yourself. I thought she was supposed to be dead by now."

I sighed quietly and curled into a little ball, so I could ease some of the pain I was feeling, while he conversed with Bonnie. "She linked herself to someone. We can't kill her, or that person dies."

"Who is it?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Well, then I guess you don't need my help."

"A friend!"

There was a brief pause, and then Bonnie said, "You don't have friends, Damon."

Closing my eyes, I mumbled, "That wasn't very nice . . . I may not be in the market for a friend, but if I were . . . he'd be at the top of my list. He has a lot to offer."

I heard another voice say, "Wait a minute, Bonnie . . . Damon, may I?" A few seconds later, the voice was saying, "Hello . . . Eve, is it?"

I rolled my eyes. "Hello, Stefan."

"You know who I am?' 

I exhaled a laugh and then groaned in pain. I only lived with the guy. "I do."

I heard Bonnie say, "This doesn't change anything. I only got involved, so I could keep more people from getting hurt. This doesn't involve - "

Keeping my eyes closed and trying to stave off the chill I was feeling, I grumbled, "Why are you guys so mean? I'll tell you why. It's because you all think you're as pure as new fallen snow . . . but you're gray just like the rest of us. And because you can't see that . . . you're mean and dangerous . . . think you can do whatever you want because if you're doing it . . . then it must be the right thing. Well, you're wrong . . . You're ignorant and selfish . . . I bet if I were someone you cared about . . . someone like Elena, you wouldn't hesitate . . . assholes."

I heard Damon say, "Eve, you're on speaker phone," and then a familiar laugh in the background. I think it was Katherine. Sounding like she was talking to them, she said, "What? She isn't wrong," and then directed what she had to say next to me. "I still say your parents are making a monumental mistake, Little One." I noted how she'd opted out of calling me Little Niece. She was still giving the bare minimum in an effort to sew seeds of intrigue that would keep the others occupied and out of her way in the coming days.

"Fuck off Katherine. We're the same height."

"Blood loss is making you testy, My Dear."

"Maybe I should put it to good use, while I still can . . . Think I could roll over and find enough strength to fall on my stake and - " I started to move, so I could get onto my knees and heard two male voices yell, "No!"

Stefan quickly said, "Eve. What are you?"

Settling back onto my side, I mumbled, "Annoyed . . . cold . . . tired."

"No, I - "

I heard Damon interrupt on my behalf, because he understood better than I did what his brother had meant. "She's human . . . just a girl, a nobody. She is not a vampire. Bonnie, you may not like me, but you wouldn't let an innocent person die. I will forever be in your debt if you - "

"No . . . don't you make any deals on my behalf, Damon Salvatore . . . And I'm not a nobody. I am a vampire-hunter extraordinaire."

Stefan said, "You're a vampire-hunter?" and I muttered, "At your service, but not for long."

Damon, still trying to get Bonnie on board said, "She's in training. She's the same age as you Bonnie." 

I heard Katherine snort. "Please. That girl is as ruthless as you or I when the mood strikes her."

Damon turned his attention to her. "You knew she'd do this."

"I had a pretty good idea, but at least Stefan knows now."

"What? "

"That I won't be the one making this town rain blood if she dies . . . tick tock, tick tock . . . how much longer do you think she has? You only just missed my heart after I told you, and she's done a lot more to herself since. Give me the moonstone, and let me out of here, so you can save her."

It made me angry. "I was willing to consider us even Kat . . . but I refuse to be used in that way." Forcing myself onto my knees, I did the only thing I could to stop her. I put my stake on the ground under my heart and pressed into it. I could hear some kind of commotion coming from the phone on the ground, but I wasn't paying attention to any of it. I exhaled a few times to prepare myself. All I had to do was let my hands go, and it'd all be over. A shitty ending to a shitty life. I could do this . . . just add another hole to my body. I probably wouldn't even feel it. It was harder to do than I thought it'd be, but I made my choice. With a final shake of my head, I let myself fall, but before I got too far, I was thrown on my back and everything went dark.


	24. Two Becomes Three

My eyes fluttered open, and I immediately slammed them shut. It felt like my eyeballs were being scratched with tiny pieces of glass. Sitting up, I covered them with my hands. Tears were pouring out of them now. What was wrong with me? Is this what being dead was like? What do I do? What do I do? I couldn't live like this for eternity. Wait . . . the contacts. Shit. I tried to pry my eyes apart, but it hurt worse to open them, so my eyelids automatically shut themselves. I was in a bit of a panic, blind and in pain, when I felt hands cover mine. "Let me have a look."

I felt myself relax, the panic in check for the moment, while my hands were pulled from my face. "Damon? It hurts."

"You've had worse." There was an edge to his voice. He was mad. I heard a woman clear her throat behind him, and he sighed before gently taking my face in his hands and lightly trying to pry my eyelids open. On instinct, they tightened, and he said, "Try to keep them open."

"Did you wash your hands?"

Sounding offended, he grumbled, "Yes," and I tried to buy myself some more time by asking, "Who's with us?"

"Someone that wants answers." 

"That doesn't really tell me anything."

"If you open your eyes and let me get these out, then you can see for yourself."

He went back to trying to get my eye open, and I said, "It's a woman . . . Is she young or old?"

"So impatient." He sounded annoyed, but I didn't sense any heat behind it.

"Is she - "

He rested his forehead against mine and said, "Eve, I'm not playing 20 questions with you. Help me get these out, and you'll know."

"Is our secret out?"

"She'll keep it if we give her a good enough reason." So not everyone knew about me. Well, they knew about me, but they didn't know what I looked like or who I was. I nodded to let him know I understood, and he said, "What you did - "

"I'm not sorry."

"You're the one that keeps saying that no matter what we do, this sacrifice will still probably happen, which means it'll happen whether you're here or not, and if you're not here, who will save Elena when the time comes?"

I swallowed. He was right. "I was being impetuous."

"I prefer reckless."

"You think you were right."

"Oh, I know I was right." Sitting back, so he could try with my eye again, Damon said, "You almost checked out before we had a chance to play our game."

I hadn't even thought of that. "For that I am sorry."

"Well, as long as you're sorry about something." He was getting frustrated and finally just pulled my eye open before swiftly reaching in and plucking the contact out. It immediately hurt worse, and I hissed, while my eye slammed shut. 

I heard the woman ask with some concern, "Are you okay?" 

Yeah, I guess the pain was receding even though it felt like it was being replaced by a big puddle of water. I nodded, and I was pretty sure I knew that voice. "I'll be fine, Caroline. Everyone has a weakness. Mine appears to be my eyes. Bite me, stake me, and I'm fine, but poke me in the eye, and I'm done."

Coming closer, she asked, "How did you - "

But Damon cut her off. "Oh you'd be surprised what she knows, wouldn't she, Eve? Why don't you dazzle her, while I work on this other eye."

"Uh, I don't think she'll be able to keep our secret."

Sounding nonchalant, Damon said, "I don't know. She's doing a pretty good job of keeping her own secret, and with the right motivation, she'll keep yours."

"It was you - " I started to turn my head in her direction, but Damon lightly pulled my face back toward him. With a sigh, I continued, "that stopped me? Why?"

She came to sit next to me, and said, "Damon told me to find you. I wasn't going to do it, but then Stefan asked me to do it, and he's helped me a lot, so I owe him. You weren't hard to find. There was a lot of blood."

"Well, I'm impressed."

I heard her ask, "Why?" and then Damon made his move on my left eye. It was over and done with before I had time to process it. I put my elbows on my knees and my face in the palm of my hands, so I could try to ease the pain, and Damon sat on the other side of me. A moment later, I remembered what Caroline had asked. "Well, like you said, there was a lot of blood, and for a newly turned vampire, it's impressive that you had enough control to keep from killing me."

"I wanted to kill you . . . but you look so much like Elena, I didn't."

"Well, then I guess by that standard, being with Matt shouldn't be a problem, right?"

She quickly rushed out, "Do you really think so? Because I've been working really hard on it. I bit him not that long ago, and - "

"He was a mess last night."

There was a brief pause, and then she said, "Oh, that wasn't because of me. Damon said he was probably compelled, and that's why you had to knock out everyone in the room. Believe me. When I first saw that, I was not happy, but he explained it to me. Katherine wants a werewolf, right?"

"Filled you in on everything, did he?"

Damon's arm slid around my shoulders, while he leaned forward to be closer to the side of my face nearest to him. "Just enough to keep her from killing you . . . and bring you home without telling anyone."

"Home?" I turned my head to look at him, but my eyes shut of their own accord, so I left them closed, while I said, "But Stefan - "

"She gave you her blood at the scene and cleaned you up here, while he and I dealt with Katherine. There was no trace of your blood when we got home. Blondie is a bit of a control freak. She may have cleaned your room too."

"What was wrong with my room?"

I heard her voice from my left. "Are you kidding me?! This place was a mess. There were clothes everywhere and bags of weapons lying around the place . . . When I brought you in here, I thought he must've been kidding about it being your room. There's no way that Elena would - "

"I'm not Elena."

"Clearly."

Taking a deep breath to control my temper, I asked, "How did you get in my room anyway?"

"I asked, and you said, 'If it means the Amazon vampire will put me down, she can come in.'" I laughed, and she was quick to say, "It's not funny. I am not an Amazon. I am the the captain of the cheerleading squad, so I have to be fit, and now - "

"You're a vampire."

"Exactly. I'm not an Amazon. I have the body of an athlete, not some - "

"Being insecure wouldn't have been one of your personality traits before the turn, would it?"

The huff she issued told me I'd annoyed her more, and I felt Damon squeeze my shoulder, like he was reminding me that we needed her on side, so I said, "I understand all about it. My Mom's personality was enhanced when she turned. She was always smart and confident in her intelligence, but it amped up to arrogance after she turned, so I learned pretty fast not to question her on anything, and she'd tell me her reasons for doing something in her own time. Her impatience with other people was magnified, and her motherly instincts to protect me on some things went off the charts and on other things became nonexistent. It wasn't easy for her, but she eventually managed to even things out."

Sounding cautious, Caroline said, "And your Mom is . . . "

My head turned in Damon's direction to find out if he'd told her that much, and he said, "She was out of the loop when Isobel was in town. She doesn't know about her."

Oh. Someone that I had a chance to fill in about my Mom without her opinion being tainted by actually meeting my Mom. A blank slate. "Like he said . . . Isobel is my Mom. She's a vampire. He's actually the one who turned her, and she - "

"Is that how you know him?"

"No. I - "

Talking over my head, Damon said, "Eve found me, because she needed my help."

Caroline, speaking in my direction said, "Why would you go to him for help?"

Being evasive, because I wasn't going to get into my reasoning on things with someone I didn't know, I said, "Because I knew he was the only one who could, and I still believe that even though I'm starting to question his ability to let me go when the time is right."

"And this is to save Elena?"

"Yes."

"What is she to you?"

"My sister. Twin to be more exact. I was born a few minutes earlier."

"Oh my God! She has a sister, and she doesn't know?"

"No, and she can't. Neither can Stefan or anyone else."

"Why not?"

"Because everyone who knows her will want to tell her, so none of them can know, and she doesn't need to know." 

"But I'm a terrible liar. I mean, this is huge. She has a sister. She'd want to know."

"I understand, so I'll put this in the simplest terms possible. You can tell her, and she will die, or you can keep it secret, and she'll live. That seems like it'd be a pretty easy decision for you to make."

"But she's my best friend. She'll know that I'm keeping something from her. I can't lie to her . . . not about this."

"Well, I think she's done plenty of lying to you."

"She did, but since Katherine showed up, she's been - "

"Did you miss the part where Damon said Isobel came to town? I didn't see her when she was here. Who do you think she saw?"

Sounding a little hurt, Caroline said, "Elena met her birth mom and didn't tell me?"

"That's right, but I bet you can guess who did know."

"Stefan." After a brief pause, she added in a more disheartened tone, "And Bonnie?"

"Yep, and that's despite the fact that she and Bonnie were on the outs then."

Like she was remembering a time when Bonnie and Elena weren't getting along, Caroline said, "Before the Founders Day Parade . . . I couldn't get them in the same room to work on the float together."

"That was most likely because Bonnie decided she didn't want to make Elena choose between she and Stefan after her grandmother died."

"Why would she be upset with Stefan for - Did he have something to do with Bonnie's Grams dying?"

"She died helping Bonnie save Stefan and Damon from the tomb."

There was a dramatic pause, and then she just sounded sad. "They're always keeping things from me. They always have. I thought with me being a vampire now, maybe I'd be on the inside for once."

"Technically you are . . . just with me, and not Elena, but what she doesn't know won't kill her. If she did know, it could actually kill her."

"Why do I feel like you're manipulating me?"

Clever girl. There was more to her than met the eye too. "Because I am . . . When you can't compel someone, you have to find other ways of getting them to do what you want. In this case, the truth and playing on your emotional insecurity should just about do the trick."

"Why would you tell me that . . . Why would she tell me that?" 

I was guessing that the second one was directed at Damon, but I answered for myself. "I owe you the truth. I may not tell you everything, and according to Damon, that's lying by omission, but I won't out and out lie . . . and it doesn't matter if I was manipulating you. Because it was the truth, it doesn't change what I said or the impact that what I said had on you. The end result is the same."

"I don't know if I like you. You're weird, and I don't think you're very nice."

Damon spoke up. "She is nice . . . most of the time. And she is a little weird, but that's because she might as well have been raised by wolves. Her parents kept her hidden from the world. I'm her first friend."

I quickly said, "We're not friends," and he said, "See! She honestly believes we're not because she's never had one." 

"And you've only ever had one friend, so what would you know?" I asked turning my face in his direction. He'd told me about Enzo the other night. Leaving Enzo behind was near the top of his deepest regrets.

Sounding like he was only an inch or two in front of my face, he said, "I know what we are, and you drive me crazy, _my friend!_ " Stopping, he added in a calmer voice, "But I can live with it. She is not your friend, and you can't afford - "

Cutting him off with a disappointed tone, I said, "We're not killing her."

"Well, you're certainly not winning her over, so it's the easiest way to make her keep her mouth shut."

"She saved my life Damon . . . You got her involved to do it, so - "

"So, I was just supposed to let you die?"

"Yes. I don't ever want to be used the way Katherine tried to me use me last night. I won't allow it."

"You know what I won't allow?"

I knew what he was going to say. He wouldn't allow me to die. Opening my eyes a fraction to try and see him, I said, "Well, that's what's going to happen. You've known it since day one. I - "

I closed my blurry eyes when he stood up and shouted, "Don't you think I know that?!" I heard him take a harsh breath before saying, "But I'm supposed to have more time . . . to talk you out of it or convince you to turn . . . You can't keep doing this."

Listening to him pace the floor in front of me, I said, "You know it's only going to get worse, right? The closer it gets, the more crises will come up that I will have to - "

"You don't have to be a part of them. Just stay out of it."

"Like I stayed out of it last night? I didn't get me involved. Katherine did."

"And then you took it and ran with it. Katherine didn't make you stab yourself. That was all you." Turning to look to my left, he yelled, "Can you help me out here? Tell her I'm right."

Caroline seemed uncertain at being brought into it, and to be honest, I'd forgotten she was still here, because she'd been so quiet. "I - I don't really know - " He must've given her a threatening look, because she quickly amended what she was going to say. "Well, maybe it'd help if I knew more. Other than last night, what else has she done?"

"On the full moon, she made sure I was out of town and went after a werewolf on her own."

Caroline looked in my direction. "You're the one who shot Stefan. He said we had to be careful because there was a - "

"professional in town? Yeah, I didn't tell her that because I didn't want her head to get big and have her think she could go around doing that kind of thing all the time, so thanks for that. You know what? On second thought, just stay out of it."

Facing Caroline with a grin, I said, "No, please continue . . . a professional, not a vampire hunter-in-training . . . That sounds about right."

Leaning forward conspiratorially, she asked me why I shot Stefan, and I paused, so Damon said, "Go on . . . tell her all about how you didn't want him to get in the way of you seeing your very first werewolf, so you shot him with your vervain darts and used his unconscious body as bait when the wolf jumped out of the truck." 

That sounded bad and was exactly why I hadn't wanted to say it. Caroline waited for me to confirm it. "Well?"

Ducking my head, I said, "Yeah, that's what happened."

Intervening, Damon said in a softer tone, "But she did it to save Stefan and all the rest of you who were out there partying in the woods, and for her trouble, she got hurt more than she led me to believe over the phone."

I sighed. One second he was mad, the next he wasn't. "You're giving me whiplash, Damon." 

I heard Caroline mutter, "Me too," but then Damon was crouching down in front of me and saying, "I am not over what happened last night. Just thinking about it makes me feel this rage, and I - "

"Because you felt helpless, and you're not used to feeling like that. You hate it. Most people do. I've made you feel that way twice now, so you're mad at me . . . again." 

This is why I didn't want him to care about me. If he didn't, he wouldn't have felt helpless last night, because he wouldn't have cared what happened to me. I felt him gently grasp the back of my head, while he leaned forward to touch his forehead to mine again. "I know what you're thinking, and you might believe I shouldn't, but it's unrealistic to expect me not to . . . and I'm not the only one. We had you talked down until she tried using you against me. That's what set you off, isn't it?" Was it? I didn't know. Did I care about Damon? Probably more than I should if I didn't want a friend. I didn't say anything, and he said, "That's okay. You don't have to tell me what I already know, and I might be mad at you right now, but I don't want Caroline to hold it against you or hold you being socially inept against you either."

"Aww." Damon pulled away from me, and whatever she saw on his face made her quickly change her tune. "I, uh . . . if I'm going to keep this secret, I need to know more. LIke why - "

I stopped her by saying, "How about this? I know that your loyalty is to Elena, and I can respect that. I know that Stefan is helping you with your new status, and again, that makes you loyal to him . . . I suspect that after last night, he may have put a couple of things together, and if he heard Damon tell you to come find me, he may even ask you to fill him in on it later, so . . . tell him almost everything. Tell him my personality - weird, and not necessarily nice if that's what you think. Tell him I am a vampire hunter. Tell him I shot him on the full moon and why . . . Tell him whatever you want, but do not say I look like Elena. Do not tell him I'm her sister. Do not tell him I'm living in his house. Do not say that I'm here to save Elena. Say you don't know why I'm here, and really it's not a lie, because you kind of do and kind of don't. You know I'm here to save Elena, but not the specifics of how."

I waited for her to respond, hoping she made the right choice, because I had no doubts that with me being blind at the moment, Damon would be able to kill her before I could stop him. "So don't lie, just don't give him or anybody else any of the details."

I smiled. "Exactly."

"Okay . . . It takes some of the pressure off. I think I can do that. Is there anything else?"

"Well, actually . . . I may have made a mess of things with Tyler and Matt last night. Matt might not remember seeing me, because he was hammered and compelled, but Tyler . . . he wasn't compelled, and he wasn't that drunk, so what he remembers is Elena knowing all about his werewolf gene, the curse, and his uncle."

"But Elena does know about his werewolf gene, the curse, and his uncle." 

"True, but if he goes to her and wants to talk about how she knows, she's going to wonder how he found out she knew, and he got pretty mad at me when I was saying it. I'm hoping he thinks the rage took over, and that's why he blacked out, but I did give him a sedative before it got that far, so he might remember that."

"So, what do you want me to do?"

It was a calculated risk, but I didn't see any other way around it. I tried to open my eyes to look at Damon and said, "Can we tell him about Katherine being a vampire and say she did it?"

"Yeah," Looking at Caroline, he added, "Take him to the tombs and let him see her. Don't let him get too close and don't let her talk to him, but seeing her start to desiccate and knowing that she's not Elena might be enough."

"What should I do about Matt? What exactly did she make him do?"

She wasn't going to like it. I'm glad Damon said it, so I didn't have to do it. "She most likely told him to pick a fight with Tyler and to not back down until Tyler killed him. If he couldn't, then she had a girl in the room as a back up plan to make sure it happened."

"She said she wouldn't hurt him if I helped her."

Sounding like he thought it was sage advice, Damon said, "The first rule of dealing with Katherine is never trust Katherine."

Quickly, Caroline asked, "And what about now? If she told him not to back down until he was dead, does that mean he's still compelled to make Tyler kill him?"

Thinking about it, Damon answered, "It depends on what her exact words were. It may have been party related, and if it was, it should have worn off by now."

"I should still probably keep an eye on him."

Sounding bored, Damon responded, "Yeah, you do that."

I interjected, "Or keep an eye on Tyler for now. There were two of them after him. If they're still compelled, you'll have an easier time warding off any attacks on him if you're with their target than you will if you're only watching one of the potential attackers."

"Okay . . . Is that all?"

"Oh, um, did you find my brush while you were rearranging things in here?"

Damon answered that one. "No, Bonnie said the witch that was working with Katherine had to have taken something of yours to do what she did, so I figured that must've been it. You can use my comb until you get a new brush."

I smiled briefly. "Thanks. And if you want Caroline to take Tyler to the tombs to meet Katherine, I'm guessing that you and Stefan took her there?"

"Yes, we did."

He sounded proud of himself. I bet it was his idea. "Poetic."

It sounded like he was smiling when he said, "I thought so."

"How'd you get her from the room to there?"

"Her witch betrayed her with some convincing from Bonnie."

"And the moonstone?"

"In the tomb with her, so it stays safe. No vampire that goes in can come out, and when you're feeling up to it, you can go get it back and drop it in the ocean, the way we planned."


	25. Out of the Loop

I was in my room with the curtains closed to keep the sunlight from hurting my eyes. I could keep them open without much pain, but the light hurt them. Note to self: don't almost die and then fall asleep with contacts in your eyes, or when you wake up, you'll regret it. I'm sure Damon was happy about it though. It meant I had to stay here when Stefan called and said Elena was missing. Apparently, she did go to the ball last night without anyone knowing. 

It must've been Jeremy being involved that'd tipped her off that something was happening, because she'd pestered her Aunt Jenna for answers on why Jeremy would go to the ball if he hated them so much, or that's what her Aunt Jenna said. Whether she'd actually made it that far, I don't know, because I'd been a little busy last night, but there seemed to be some reason to believe she'd at least made it to the Lockwood's, because her car was there . . . just no Elena, and where was I? Stuck in my room, fumbling around with my guitar to try and keep my mind off the fact that I'd lost my sister, and my parents were going to kill me.

'I failed,' kept circling around my brain on repeat. 'What if he took her?' was another one. 'I can't just stay here and do nothing,' filtered in every now and then and was swiftly followed by, 'You're no good to anybody with your eyes the way they are, so just wait until you find out more, and then decide what to do.' I think I was learning that vampire blood was pretty good at saving your life in the moment, but it was more of an immediate response kind of protection. It didn't do jack to fix injuries that happened even hours after you had it, and you had the disadvantage of becoming a vampire if you actually did die. I wouldn't be any good to anybody if I was a vampire either, so I waited and waited and got more and more frustrated as the day passed without a word from Damon on what they'd found.

Breaking up the tedium and anxiety surrounding me may be why when I heard a voice calling for Stefan, my ears perked up, and I eagerly got off my bed. Opening my door, I waited. "Stefan! . . . Damon!" Nothing. The voice went through a few more rounds of calling for them before it finally called, "Eve!" Darting down the hall and instinctively missing the squeaky floorboards that I knew by heart now, I quickly made my way to the main living room. Popping my head around the corner with an erie grin, I rather creepily said, "You summoned me?"

Caroline jumped. "Gosh! You scared me." My grin transformed into a genuine smile, and sounding rather annoyed, she added, "You couldn't have come sooner? I don't know, like when you first heard me? I didn't think anyone was here."

Coming around the corner, I took in her state, and sobered a little. "Well, I'm not just going to show my face for anyone . . . What happened to you?" 

She was covered in blood. "Oh no, I really liked this shirt!" Looking down at herself, like she only just realized she was covered in the red stuff, she tried to brush it off, but there was no getting that out.

"Did you slip up?"

Her attention immediately snapped up to me. "No! I mean yes, but not the way you're thinking. I was . . . well, I was with Tyler, like you said, and I was paying attention. I even made us stop by the Grill to see what Matt would do when he saw him, but he was fine, and I thought . . . well, I sort of stopped paying attention, because I decided to tell him about Katherine, and then we went to see her . . . He didn't believe me at first. He thought Elena and I were playing a joke on him, but she was just so . . . Katherine and bitchy , and he saw that she wasn't coming out of the tomb . . . She said something about him being a wolf boy, and I think it made him mad, and then she said she was looking forward to seeing what he could do, but then she figured out that he hadn't triggered the curse, and I knew what she was going to say before she said it, so I got him out of there before she could ruin it by saying she hadn't talked to him last night . . . and then we were on our way home, and I was trying to come up with ways of explaining who she was and why she was in town, and I told him about her wanting Mason to find the moonstone, and we were just talking, and all of a sudden out of nowhere Sarah just walked out in front of us, and he hit her, and I wasn't thinking. I was just trying to get to her as fast as possible, so I could help her, and he saw me move really fast, like super fast, and I bit my wrist to give her my blood, and he saw that too, but it was too late, and . . . she died." 

Finally stopping to breathe, she looked at me, like she was hoping I'd be able to do something to help her, and really I was just trying to process everything she'd said at a super fast speed, not that vamps could talk faster than humans, but she sure could fit a lot in there in a short amount of time when she was in a panic. "Uh," pointing to my eyes, I said, "Did his eyes - "

"They flashed like this golden color with amber flecks . . . He triggered the curse, didn't he?"

I brought my hand up to the back of my neck, while I walked into the room and muttered, "Yeah, sounds like it." Looking around the room, I added, "Sorry, Mason, I tried."

I sank down on the couch, and Caroline looked around the room, like she was trying to see something I couldn't. "Is he here?" 

I chuckled and dropped my hand from the back of my neck. "No. He died here, but Damon took care of his body. I promised him that I'd keep an eye on Tyler. I promised I'd kill Katherine before she could get to Tyler and change him . . . but he said that if something happened and Tyler turned, I needed to find Tyler a pack to show him the ropes, so I guess that's what I'm going to do now."

Sitting next to me, Caroline said, "He was devastated. It was a complete accident. There's no way anybody could have missed hitting her, but it didn't matter. It just seems so unfair."

"And you getting in a car accident, being given the only thing that could save you, and then getting killed and turning into a vampire is fair?"

"No . . . but maybe that's why I feel bad for him. I understand."

"Yeah, you do, so help him. Let him know he's not alone, and I will look into finding him some werewolves that can help him."

"Can you really do that?"

"I don't know. It's going to be difficult. Werewolves are notoriously hard to find and untrusting of outsiders, but maybe if I can find Mason's pack, I can convince them to give me a meeting if I tell them about Tyler."

"What are you going to tell them about how he died?"

"Well, I'm not telling them I killed him. They're extremely loyal, vengeful, violent, and quick tempered . . . maybe I'll tell them Katherine did it and point them in her direction."

"You killed him? I thought Damon did."

"Damon tortured him and was going to kill him. I did the actual killing."

"Have you ever killed anyone before him?"

"Lots."

She looked at me and then understanding crossed her face. "Of vampires?"

My eyebrow arched. "Well, I am a vampire hunter . . . Damon likes to call me a vampire-hunter-in-training, but I graduated from that, like 2 1/2 years ago when I stopped being used by my Dad as bait."

"Your Dad used you as bait?" She looked concerned.

"Uh, yeah. It's good to know how to take a bite in this profession. I learned it at an early age."

Looking down at her hands, she quietly said, "My Mom hates vampires."

"I know. I heard." She looked at me, and I said, "I have a parabolic listening device. I used it all the time when I first got to Mystic Falls, but then I moved in here, and Damon fills me in on things when he's not mad at me. When he is, I use that . . . He was mad at me the week you had your Mom here."

She took that all in before looking back down at her hands. Shaking her head, she said, "I compelled her to forget what I am."

"The next time she figures it out, don't do that." She looked at me again, and I rolled my eyes. "She will find out again. You can't keep it from her forever, and she's your Mom. She carried you for 9 months. She will adjust to the idea . . . Give her a chance."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because her first instinct is to think that you are a predator. It's what she knows about vampires, but the second she sees that it puts you in danger from people like me or werewolves or whatever it is . . . she will do whatever it takes to save you. You being a vampire won't mean a damn to her under those circumstances, because you're still her daughter?"

Giving me a sad smile, she said, "You really think so?"

"Yeah, I do."

Caroline nodded before looking down again. "If you're a vampire hunter, does that mean would you have killed me?" She tugged on her shirt and added, "If I did this?" 

"I tend to take reasons into account unless there's no time to hear a reason, like when the tomb vampires took Stefan, I helped Damon get him back, and I didn't stand around waiting to hear their reasons for why they did what they did." She exhaled a laugh before looking away from me again, and I felt the need to say, "Do I scare you?" She glanced in my direction, and I said, "You're not really making eye-contact. You do, and then it's like you have to look anywhere else but me."

"No, it's just you look like Elena, but I know you're not, and you don't act like her at all . . . you don't really act like - "

"Katherine either, but I'm closer to being like her than Elena?" Caroline nodded, and I said, "Katherine really scared you."

"She terrified me until I tricked her into going into that room last night. I did it, and I was really proud of myself for doing it, but she's still alive, and seeing her today . . . if she ever gets out of that tomb - "

"Oh, I'm sure she will. It's not a question of if, but when."

"And you're okay with that?"

I shrugged. "After last night, we're even. The last time I saw her, she stabbed me, left me to bleed out in my apartment, and told me she was going after my Dad."

"Who is your Dad?"

My lips pursed, and I thought about whether or not I really wanted to tell her another secret Elena had kept from her. "John Gilbert."

"Does Elena know?" I didn't say anything, and she sighed before shaking her head and looking off to the side. "Why don't they trust me?"

"I don't know you or them well enough to comment. I just know that I have to trust you, because - "

"Damon will kill me if I mess this up?"

"Nah, I might have to think fast on a way to fix it, like I did after what happened with Tyler last night, but I won't let him kill you."

"You couldn't stop him if it's what he wants."

"Hello, vampire-hunter . . . and he thinks we're friends, so I hold some sway."

"You're not really friends?"

Ducking my head, I said, "I think that people you care about are the people with the power to hurt you the most. I have my parents. I don't need anymore people getting involved in that side of things."

"Was he being serious when he said you'd never had a friend? He's your first."

"Yep, and like I said, he's not my friend. We're business partners."

She tried not to smile, while rolling her eyes. "That's not what I saw earlier, and you didn't see him when he found us in the woods last night."

Picking some nonexistent lint off my jeans, I said, "Well, I keep telling him not to care about me."

"That's not possible to control, even for vampires, and I think you care about him too, but he's a bad person . . . You should be careful with him."

"None of us are good people."

"He hurt me. Did you know that?"

"When?"

"When he first came to town. I liked him, and he fed on me and compelled me to spy on Stefan and Elena." 

It obviously wasn't something he felt bad about doing, or he would have told me around the campfire, but that didn't mean that it hadn't had a big impact on Caroline. "One night he almost killed me." She looked at me, and I said, "He stopped himself and forced his blood down my throat. I staked him in the morning to let him know he couldn't walk all over me, and the next night he was saving my life after Katherine tried to kill me, and then he had me move in here . . . He's done a lot of bad, but he's not bad. There's more to him than that . . . And I'm sorry for your experience with him. You're stronger than you know though. You seem to be taking to this new life pretty well. Don't let him walk all over you, and you'll be fine."

Facing me she said, "He never hurt you again?"

My forehead furrowed in thought. "Uh, the night he killed Jeremy, he attacked me, so I staked him again and sprayed vervain in his face. We talked it out, and he passed out in my room."

"How do you talk something like that out?"

"You listen and be honest . . . What was said is confidential, so if you're asking for Stefan, I'm not going to tell you."

She smiled. "What if I'm asking for me?"

"Same principle applies. I wouldn't betray your trust. I won't betray his."

"Okay, let me put it this way. I bit Matt. Sure, I compelled him to forget and then broke up with him to keep him safe from me, but let's say I want to go back out with him. If I lose control again . . . is there a way to talk it out with him if I don't compel him? I hated doing it. It just felt wrong."

"You might be able to resist biting him better than you could, but you shouldn't go out with anyone that doesn't know about vampires. At the very least, he should know what he needs to do to protect himself from you. Plus, you'd be bringing him into a dangerous world he doesn't know exists. Once it has a hold of him, it won't let him go."

"So, I should tell him before I go back out with him?"

"Or move on . . . He has a lot of issues."

"He does not! He's a good guy and handsome and sweet and - "

"He does have a lot of issues that he's already dealing with Caroline. There's his dead sister and his Mom, rent, bills, work, school . . . Do you want to add the reality that vampires are real to that? And what if it doesn't work out? He's human. Are you going to turn him, so you can stay together forever, or are you eventually going to have to let him go? If it's not going to last, then is it worth it to bring him into this life for a few months or years of your happiness?"

She slumped with a pout and said, "I guess not. I just love him so much."

"If you love him, then you should let him go . . . Look at Elena and Stefan. She had no idea about any of this stuff until he came to town, and look at all the problems she's had because of it."

Sitting back in a huff, she threw her hands in the air and said, "How would I know? She doesn't tell me anything!"

"Well, she's missing right now, so . . . "

Caroline immediately sat up to look at me. "She's what?"

"She's missing. Her Aunt said she was going to the ball last night. Her car is at the Lockwood's . . . Nobody can find her."

"See! Nobody told me that! I should know these things . . . and what are you doing here if she's in trouble? I thought you were supposed to be saving her."

Pointing to my eyes, I answered, "The light still hurts them. Damon's supposed to be updating me, but as you saw this morning, he's decided that I should stay out of these things for now."

"Neither of those things seem like they would stop you."

"He sped out of here before I could follow him."

Flopping back against the couch again, she looked up at the ceiling before saying, "Do you think Bonnie knows?"

Good question. "Possibly . . . the easiest way to find someone when they don't have their phone is to have a witch track them."

Digging into her jeans pocket to find her phone, Caroline said, "I'll call her and find out. Maybe there is something we can do." I felt a thread of hope, but quashed it as I watched how her conversation went. When she hung up, she was livid. "Jeremy answered. He said they didn't know, but I could tell he was lying. He wouldn't put her on the phone."

"Feel like training?"

Confusion snapped her out of her anger. "What kind of training?"

"Do you want me to show you how to fight?"

She rolled her eyes. "Just because I'm a vampire doesn't mean I - "

"It absolutely does mean you need to know how to fight. It's a dog eat dog world out there. The older they are, the harder they fall, and you are just a baby vampire. You won't always want to live here. How would you explain never aging? You'll move around. You'll run into other vampires. You should know how to protect yourself from foes that are stronger than you."

She hesitated and then said, "Will it keep me from ever feeling the way Katherine made me feel?"

"Scared?" She nodded, and I said, "It couldn't hurt."

"What if I hurt you?"

"Then I've done something wrong to let you hurt me."

"What if I lose control and kill you? Damon will kill me."

"Well, then I won't let you kill me."

"You're sure?"

Standing, I said, "Positive. You're not the only one frustrated right now."

"Wait, what if you hurt me?"

Smiling, while I offered her a hand, I said, "You'll heal, and you'll learn not to make that mistake again."

Taking my hand, she shook her head. "Why do I feel like I'm making a big mistake now?"

"Would you rather one of the guys teach you, or another girl?"

"You . . . I guess. Just don't go easy on me, okay? I'm a perfectionist, and if I'm going to do this, I want it to be right."

Leading her to my room, so I could get my sunglasses and some weapons, I said, "Deal, but when we're done, you need to go talk to Tyler."

"What do I say?"

"Well, you could start by telling him you know he triggered the curse."

"I may have already done that."

"Okay, well, then you could tell him you're there for him if he needs anything."

"And I'll help him on the full moon if we haven't found him a pack by then?"

"Sure, but you're not doing that alone. I will grin and bear it with another pair of contacts and go with you as Elena. Even a small bite is lethal to vampires, and his nature will be to go for you, because vampires are werewolves' natural enemy. He won't be able to control it the way vampires can control their bloodlust. He will be a wolf and conscious, so he'll remember everything, but he will not be himself."

"Should I tell him I'm a vampire?"

"Well if you vampire zoomed in front of him and flashed your fangs to bite your wrist, he probably knows you're something. Don't lie to him and make it worse. Just don't tell him secrets that aren't yours to tell."


	26. They Know

I felt the icy fingers of dread tingle up my spine, while Damon recounted his story. "Elijah?"

Damon glanced down at me. "Yeah, I'm getting to that. We killed him, and - "

"Damon, he can't be killed."

"Uh, yeah he can. I drove a coat rack through his chest, and he went gray and veiny. I'd call that dead."

Shaking my head as I put my head in my hands, I said, "Damon . . . Elijah's an Original."

"Yeah, I keep hearing that. He's one of the ones you were talking about, right? Well, good news. They can be - "

Standing up from my bed, I said, "No, Damon, they can't . . . not permanently. Maybe for a short time, like when you guys snap each other's necks, but that's it . . . They're immortal. I told you they're the monsters that scare other monsters, and I said it for a reason. He can't be killed by a stake to the heart. As far as I know, nothing can kill him permanently. He saw Elena. He saw you and Stefan, and he is coming."

"Is he the one - "

Starting to pace, I shook my head. "He is the respectable one. He's like his brother's right hand man. It's his brother we need to worry about."

"Brother?"

"They're a whole family! The Original Family . . . I don't know how many of them there actually are. I know there are rumors of 5, but usually, it's 3 or 2, and Elijah is always one of them."

Stepping in front of me to get me to stop, Damon said, "How do you know all this?"

"Well, I do know the last doppleganger they planned to use in their sacrifice."

"She told you."

"Of course she told me. I'm their next attempt, and they have been waiting 500 years for it."

"So by turning she kept them from being able to do the sacrifice."

"Yes . . . she played some guy - "

"Are you talking about Trevor?" 

I looked at my door. "Who's out there?"

Damon quickly answered, "A friend," and I opened the door saying, "I don't have friends."

She looked a little surprised to see me. "My God, there are two of them."

"Who the hell are you?"

Giving me a faint smile, she said, "I'm here to help. The 'guy' she played was my friend. We've been running for 500 years, and today he died for his compassion."

Turning away from her, I said, "So, you know . . . you can't reason with them. You can't kill them. And you can't run, or they will kill everyone you know the way they did Katherine's family." Stopping as something occurred to me, I turned to look back at the woman at my door. "Rose?" She gave Damon an uncomfortable look before nodding at me, and I said, "You're the one that turned her."

"Yes. I gave her my blood, because she was hurt, with the intention of taking her back to them, but she killed herself before I could."

"Yeah, she was wily even as a human . . . I am sorry for your loss . . . How'd Elijah find you?"

Again, she tossed an uncomfortable look at Damon before saying, "We contacted him through back channels. We - I was hoping to do a trade. The doppleganger in exchange for our freedom."

I bit my bottom lip and then nodded knowingly. "And it'll be 10x worse for Katherine. I knew her plan was idiotic . . . They'll never forgive her for what she did." Rose's eyebrow arched, and I quickly said, "Not that I think you were idiotic. I just expect more from her, because I know her. She is not naive, and her plan is looking pretty naive to me. How exactly do you plan on helping?"

Crossing her arms across her chest, Rose said, "Well, I was thinking that information might be useful, but you seem to have that under control."

I heard Damon behind me say, "Yeah, you pretty much corroborated everything she told Stefan and me . . . except she thinks Elijah's dead too, and I know how she can help." I looked back at him, and he said, "She can tell us how she got in touch with Elijah."

My eyes widened. "Why would you do that?"

"Because I want to find Klaus."

"The brother?!" I threw my hands in the air and wrapped them around the back of my head, while I started pacing again. "See, this is exactly why I haven't said anything. I knew you'd do this. I told you that if you start looking, he'll know. He's got eyes everywhere looking for the Petrova doppleganger. We do not want to draw attention to ourselves." Throwing a look at Rose, while I passed her, I said, "Oh wait, Elijah knows about us now thanks to you."

Getting in front of me again, Damon said, "Exactly. Elijah knew . . . knows . . . whatever, so if he told his brother, we need to take the battle to them. We can't just sit around and wait for them to show up. It gives them all the advantage."

Dropping my arms and poking him in the chest, I stared him in the eye, while I made my point. "If you're so ready to die, then I will stake you in the heart right now."

"She's right, you know. Klaus is no joke. He is the real deal."

Watching me, Damon said, "So what do you expect me to do?"

"I expect you to keep your end of the bargain. I expect you to trust me to handle this. I expect you - "

"To let you die? No way. Neither one of you are dying if I can help it."

"You can't help it. You are smart Damon, but he is smarter. You are strong, but he's stronger. You're fast, but he's faster . . . You've got people you can lose, and he has been waiting 1000 years for this. Nothing will stand in his way." I took a breath, and my tone softened. "I'm not scared of dying. I made my peace with it when I tried to kill Katherine. What concerns me is - " 

I cut myself off, and he asked, "What?" 

"You. Don't die for me. Just remember why you started this. You love Elena. And this is the only way to save her."

Leaning towards me, he asked, "Are we friends, Eve?" I didn't say anything. The timing of it caught me a little off guard. "Just say it." When I still didn't respond, he yelled, "Say it!"

"All right! Calm down. Fine. We're friends."

He seemed momentarily surprised that I'd actually said it, but it quickly passed. "Then don't expect me to throw you away, like you're nothing . . .You're not nothing."

"Damon - "

"No, I don't want to hear it." Turning to leave my room, he waved me off saying, "Just start going over your little plans to try and outsmart me, and I'll start mine, because I am not done yet."

He'd woken me up after Rose filled he and Stefan in on what she knew about the Originals and Stefan went out to hunt in the woods to take his mind off of it. Maybe Stefan was on his way back, and that's why he left it like that, but I suspected it was to have the last word on it, and all it did was leave me awake for most of the rest of the night, restless, while I did what he said and tried to come up with ways to keep him from interfering on my behalf. It wasn't until the realization that he would, in fact, have to choose and would without a doubt choose Elena that I was finally able to let myself fall asleep. All I had to do was make sure he was with her when the time came, because he could not be in two places at once. 

When I woke up, it was quite late, and the house was empty. Stefan was probably at school and Damon was probably off being Damon and scheming and plotting. It was time for me to do some scheming and plotting of my own. I needed that moonstone. First, I needed to know how to get to where these tombs were, so I called the only other person I knew and asked her. "Uh . . . you can't do that."

"Why not? I'm not bad at following directions. Just give them to me, and I'll go."

"Uh . . . There's a big heavy rock in the way. You'll never be able to lift it, and I'm at school, so I can't do it for you."

Making a face, I said, "Don't worry about that. I'm resourceful. I'll make some kind of leverage system to boost my strength . . . maybe use pulleys? It could be fun, and since it's physics, I'll be getting a jump on my physics lessons for next year."

"Oh, uh, I forgot where it is. Sorry. Bye."

I looked down at my phone after it disconnected. What was she hiding? Biting the inside of my cheek, I quickly sent her a text. 

_Me: Don't make me come to your school._

_Caroline: You won't kill me in a crowded place._

_Me: No, just make you wish you were dead when I embarrass you._

_Caroline: You wouldn't._

_Me: I always follow up on threats. It's what makes me threatening. What are you hiding?_

_Caroline: Nothing bad._

_Me: Then you can tell me._

_Caroline: I already promised someone I wouldn't._

_Me: Elena's there. Got it._

_Caroline: How did you know?_

_Me: I didn't until just now._

_Caroline: I hate you._

_Me: Good. That should keep you safe._

_Caroline: From what?_

_Me: Got my own secrets to keep. Since I know. Can I have the address now?_ I waited 5 minutes before texting her again: _She won't know I'm there. Promise._

_Caroline: Fine. If it means you'll leave me alone, I'll send it._

I waited until the address came through and smiled. _Thanks._

_Caroline: Get a life and stop ruining mine. Go to school._

I grabbed my coat and my pistol crossbow before heading for the door and texting back: _See you later for training?_

_Caroline: I'll be there at 6._

I really had no intention of letting Elena know I was there, so Caroline breaking her confidence shouldn't get back to her, but I couldn't let Katherine tell her about me. I assumed most of her talk was going to be the story of her running, turning, and the consequences of that. I got that talk a long time ago. I was just going to make sure that she kept me out of it. Elena could be persuaded to sacrifice herself for the friends and family she knew about. She didn't need a sister she didn't know about to be added to the mix. 

When I got to the address Caroline had given me, all I really saw were a bunch of ruins. It looked like I was going to have to stumble my way around until I found the entrance, so that's what I did untilI I saw a faint path starting to wear into the tall grass. For a place nobody knew about until a few months ago, they were really starting to make a habit of coming here. Following the path, I found my destination and heard voices coming from down the stairs. Silently, I made my way down and popped my head around the corner. Elena was sitting with her back to me. It looked like she was plying Katherine with blood in exchange for information, and it made me feel a little proud. She was smart, a little manipulative, and willing to do whatever it took to find out what was coming for her, so she could be prepared. She was proactive. "You killed yourself?!"

Hm. I'd missed the good part of the story. I always did like Katherine's thinking on that one. It was really smart and calculated, but at the same time, it'd been spontaneous. She'd had to jump at the first opportunity she had to stay alive, and she'd been jumping at those ever since. It was a survivor's story. Katherine was facing me. She glanced in my direction, and I gave her a threatening smile, while raising my crossbow up for her to see. She rolled her eyes, and before Elena could look back, I popped back into my hiding spot. "Klaus needed a human doppleganger. As a vampire, I was no longer any use to him."

"But it didn't work. You really didn't escape. You've been running from him ever since."

Katherine had been running ever since, but she'd been alive to do it, and I couldn't fault her that. Really, when you thought about it, she'd had a very lonely existence. I'd meant what I said to Damon the first night I met him. She did care about people in the moment when she had a chance to stop and care. I don't know if she actually cared about Damon, but she had cared about Stefan. She just couldn't let how she felt in the moment stand in her way of staying alive, so she had to be able to leave at a moment's notice. That, as much as anything, had made her what she was. It was both commendable and sad.

I leaned my head back against the rock face and listened while Katherine recounted her transformation story. Maybe I hadn't missed the best part. I really did like this story, and something about it made me feel a like a kid listening to one of her fun Aunt's stories. We'd had our moments, good and bad, like a careful dance that kept us familiar without being too close. When she was finished, I heard Elena say, "Rose and Trevor spent the last 500 years running because you used them. Trevor just got killed." 

My eyebrows rose, and my pride in my sister dwindled. That hadn't been my response. She was failing to see the human-side to Katherine's story, and it reminded me why I thought Elena and her friends were annoying, thinking they were all white knights and judging everyone from their pedestals on high. Leaning around the corner, so I could get Katherine's attention, I shook my head to let her know I didn't agree and then gave her a thumbs up to let her know I thought her story was pretty cool. The corners of her mouth almost pulled up into a smile before she looked at Elena and said, "Not everyone would see it that way."

"They would if they were good. They wouldn't use other people just to save their own skin."

Katherine's eyes flicked back to me, and I quickly retreated behind my wall before she said, "I don't know . . . I know some pretty good people, who I respect greatly, and they wouldn't make the choices I did, but they were willing to listen and understand why I made them. Maybe even think my story was . . . how did they put it? "The epitome of a survivor's story.' They thought I was 'smart, tragic, and fearless.''" I peeked back around the corner, eyebrow raised, like I thought she was pushing it by repeating what I'd said to her when she'd told me all of this. She didn't take her eyes off of Elena, but she did smirk, like she was well aware of what I was thinking before she said to Elena, "I was looking out for myself, Elena. I will always look out for myself. If you're smart, you'll do the same," but I felt like she was talking to both of us with that one. 

I went back to hiding and listening in on their conversation, and Katherine got what was needed for the curse out of the way. I already figured out that Tyler was her werewolf, but I hadn't expected for her to say that Caroline was her intended vampire. Well, I wouldn't let either one of them be in the sacrifice, which meant I needed to get Tyler out of town, find another werewolf, one that deserved it, and send Caroline on a long vacation too. I wouldn't let any of the vampires I knew be in that sacrifice. There were plenty of other ones out there that deserved it far more.

Katherine walked off, like she was done talking, and I wondered if that was my cue to leave. I needed to get out of here before Elena tried to go, or she'd walk right past me. Edging along stone wall behind him, I got to where I could have a better look at Elena. She was sitting there, looking like she was planning on waiting Katherine out, but Katherine had gotten enough blood from her for the moment, and she was annoyed. As long as she had what she needed, or there weren't any major changes, she wouldn't be coming back to talk to Elena. 

I took my chance to run up the stairs while I had it and then ran. When I got outside, I run to a big tree about 100 feet away and climbed up to it's first branch, so I could wait there. I needed to get that moonstone back. Elena giving blood to Katherine made that less likely, because Katherine wouldn't be as weak, but maybe I could talk her around. If she didn't give it to me, I'd just wait her out a few more days until she was too weak to fight me off, and then I'd get it from her. It's a good thing I hid up in the tree, because maybe 15 minutes later, I saw a flash of color make it's way to the tomb entrance, which could only mean it was a vampire, and that meant it was either Stefan or Damon. Caroline obviously didn't have a problem with Elena talking to Katherine, but one of those two most certainly would.


	27. Can't Be Replaced

I couldn't convince Katherine to give me the moonstone. I no longer planned to throw it in the ocean. Elijah finding out about Elena changed things. We needed it as a bargaining chip, to maybe make this whole process go a little more smoothly . . . but of course Katherine wanted to use it as her own bargaining chip. No hard feelings. I'd just wait until she was weak again and steal it. 

It meant biding my time, and the most enjoyable way for me to do that was to play the piano, so after Stefan left, and I was pretty sure that Damon was out of the house the next morning, I went to the piano. I hadn't had a chance to play it over the last week or two, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that it'd been tuned. It made all the difference. I was playing another one of my favorites, _Let It Be_ , when I heard a woman say, "Mmm . . . I love this song."

Without looking at her, I continued to play and said, "Hi Rose . . . You're still here."

"I don't have anywhere else to go."

She came into my line of sight, but I was reaching the big crescendo in the middle and needed to concentrate. When I got through it without any problems, I said, "You're free, but you lost the one thing that made being free worth it?"

"Damon said you had problems with your filter and maybe were a little too honest for your own good sometimes."

I shrugged. "You won't hurt me. The fight in you is gone now." I threw a glance in her direction and added, "Your bathrobe looks spiffy."

She laughed before looking down at herself. "I suppose I should change. I just heard you playing and wanted to have a look."

She turned to leave, and I stopped playing. If she was going to be staying here, then I should be nice even if she's the reason that Elijah knew about Elena. I needed her to keep my secret, and I guess being nice was the trade off for that. "Can you play?"

Looking at the piano, she smiled. "I haven't in decades."

"Do you want to give it a try?"

She paused and then hesitantly came to sit to my left on the bench, but instead of playing anything she looked at me. "Damon said I should get to know you."

"There's really no point. I won't be around much longer."

Trying to hide her smile, she said, "He said you'd say that . . . He also said you're off-putting when people meet you, but if they can get past that, it's worth it to get to know you."

Leaning forward to start playing _Blister In the Sun_ by the Violent Femmes, I said, "The same could easily be said about him, I suppose."

"I'm beginning to see that. There is more to him than you think at first." I continued playing, and she said, "You mean a lot him."

"Did he send you to me to have you try and talk me out of it?"

"No." I glanced at her, and she gave me a genuine shake of the head. She wasn't lying. Taking a deep breath and looking at the keys she said, "What's your greatest achievement?" 

Okay. Strange. I decided to play along to see where she was going with this. "Um, my Dad and I rebuilt my car practically from scratch. At first he showed me how do everything, because I had no idea what I was doing, but then the more time we spent on it, it turned into him directing me on what to do, almost like he was taking the training wheels off, and I finished it off on my own. I think turning the key and hearing the engine turn over was my greatest achievement . . . to date anyway." 

She bit her bottom lip in thought and then said, "Okay, well, do you remember how that made you feel . . . the moment you heard the car start?" 

Smiling, I said, "Yeah . . . I couldn't believe it at first, and then I ran in to tell my Dad it was done, so he could see what we'd done, and we went to take it for a spin."

"Imagine that feeling x10 and how proud you were. You wanted to show it off straight away. That's how Damon feels. He wants to show you off, and he doesn't get to do it very often, but when he can, he does. That is why he wants me to get to know you."

I glanced at her and said, "You know I don't have Asperger's syndrome, right? I may be socially inept on some things, but it's because of a lack of social interaction, not because I can't understand it. You don't have to explain feelings to me. You could've just said he's happy he has a friend and wants to show me off. Now, I feel worse about ditching him when I die than I may have already felt."

Rose smiled and exhaled a laugh before facing the keys. "And you should . . . Everybody's looking for that one person that they could spend 500 years with day in and day out without growing bored of them, and it is almost impossible to find. I had it with Trevor. Lovers come and go, but that kind of a bond doesn't, and if something breaks it, it leaves a void you'll never be able to fill . . . Like you said, it takes the fight right out you, but it does worse than that. It leaves you feeling like your life has no meaning. You're lost, wandering aimlessly around in the dark, and you'll never be able to see again, because your light has gone out." She glanced at me. I'd stopped playing. I didn't know what to say to that. No kind sentiment could ease her suffering. That didn't mean I shouldn't try, but 'sorry for your loss,' just didn't seem to cut it. 

Turning back to the keys, I put my fingers on them and asked, "Do you know this one?"

I started to play _Heart and Soul_ , and she smiled. "I think everyone that knows how to play the piano does."

Getting out of her way, I said, "You'll take the bass part?" 

She nodded before putting her fingers on the keys. She started to play, and I waited for my moment and played my part, and we traded back and forth a couple of times before we started playing together. I went with the hardest arrangement of this I'd seen, and she matched it. She giggled in pure enjoyment before leaning into me and saying, "Key change coming." I knew what she wanted, and then she nodded to cue us in on it, and we did it flawlessly. We sounded pretty good, if I did say so myself. When it came time to change keys again, she nodded to cue us, and towards the end, we both paused, bobbed our head to count the beat and started back in at the same time. When we finished she was beaming. "I haven't done that in so long."

"I hope it helped you get what you needed in a way words wouldn't have . . . even if it was only for a few minutes." I narrowed my eyes at her, and asked, "You know what I'm saying, right?" 

She chuckled. "I do and thank you."

"If you want to keep messing around, I can go play my guitar for a while. I have a song I really need to learn until it's perfect."

She looked at the keys a little whimsically and then her head snapped up at attention. "Someone's coming."

"Okay, I'll go to my room. If you need back up, give me a shout."

Standing with a small smile, she said, "I'll keep that in mind," but before she left the room, I touched her arm to make her stop.

"Could you do me a favor?"

"Sure. What is it?"

I'd been bothered by this since the night I tried to kill Katherine. "You seem like you might be around for a while . . . So, when I die, will you keep an eye on him? Don't let him destroy himself and everyone around him."

"That light can't be replaced, Eve, even if he hasn't had it very long." No, I didn't believe that for a second. Maybe after 500 years, I could, but not after a few months. I chewed the inside of my cheek trying to think of what I could say to convince her she was wrong without hurting her feelings and she sighed, "I'll do what I can." That was enough. I gave her a nod, and she put her hands on my shoulders, so she could turn me and push me out the door and in the direction of my room. "Now go, before somebody sees you." 

I didn't know what she'd be able to do, but I felt a little better. Hearing what Katherine had said about him making it rain blood if I died . . . It should've stopped me from trying to kill her if it meant me dying, but it hadn't. Maybe I hadn't wanted to believe it or hear it, and that's why I'd been so quick to act. I don't know. What I did know was that I'd had more time since that night to think about it, and Stefan . . . he knew his brother better than anyone, and Katherine could have been lying about Stefan knowing his brother would explode if I died, but then I thought about how he'd jumped in to try and help Damon convince Bonnie to help me and how fast he was to yell, 'No,' right along with Damon when I threatened to do what I ultimately tried to do and impale my heart on the stake. He's also the one that told Caroline to go find me . . . If he was worried about what Damon would do if I died, then I should take it a little more seriously. But if I was stepping in for Elena during the sacrifice, then Rose could step in for me, and Damon would still have Elena, Stefan, and Rose. That should be more than enough.


	28. Preparing for the Full Moon

During the rest of the day and those that followed, everything started to unravel. For one, my asinine sister went and sent an email telling Klaus that she wanted to surrender to him. Elijah showed up and killed the guys that went to get her, which . . . well, him being alive didn't surprise me in the slightest, but him killing his brother's lackeys did. I wondered what that meant and if I could use it to my advantage, but I still hadn't met the guy, so we'd see when the time came if I could. Rose had gone with her, because Elena tricked her, but it'd made angry Damon angry with Rose, so my plans of having her keep an eye on him after I died had been hindered, but that wasn't the most annoying problem.

Stefan went and got himself trapped in the tomb with Katherine. Sure, it was to save Jeremy, because Jeremy was a dumb ass and went in there trying to do what I was planning on doing, but did he have to toss the moonstone out of the cave? Whatever the little vampire super-geek told Damon and Rose after they went on a road trip to find him, I didn't believe a witch could just remove the curse from the stone and make it useless, but apparently they were all starting to get desperate and were willing to believe any old thing they were told. Of course then the moonstone was given to Bonnie, and I wasn't going anywhere near a witch. What, with all their little visions, she'd figure me out in a second, so for now, it was bye bye moonstone as potential leverage, hello, watching and gauging the rhythm of the goings on in front of me until I could jump in without screwing everything up. 

Then of course there was the full-moon and Tyler Lockwood. That was happening tonight, and Caroline was freaking out about it after she watched some video diary of Mason's first change. In my spare time, I'd been looking into it, but I hadn't had any real luck in locating a pack for Tyler, so it looked like she and I would be his changing buddies. I'd have to invest more time into it instead of studying for school during the day. It might put me behind on my goal of trying to graduate early, but hopefully, it'd mean that by the next full moon, he'd have a pack, and he'd be long gone on his werewolf training camp when the really bad guys rolled into town. Then again, nothing seemed to be going right these days. About the only thing I could think that had gone right was that Damon and Bonnie had plotted to lock Elena in her house, so I didn't have to worry about her running straight into the arms of Klaus, while I dealt with the Tyler debacle tonight.

Sliding into a booth at the Grill, I blinked a few times to make my contacts were right, and Caroline elbowed me in the ribs. "Stop fidgeting. You look fine. He won't notice a difference. He's got other things on his mind. Just don't be you, and you'll be okay."

Leaning closer to her, I grasped a lock of my hair and fanned it in front of her face. "What about how I smell? Do you think he'll be able to tell a difference?"

"Ew. Stop doing that. It's weird."

I looked around the Grill and said, "Nobody's watching . . . Oh wait. Do you mean I smell gross, and it's weird?"

Shoving my hair out of her face, she leaned closer and whispered, "Friends don't ask friends to smell them."

Oh. "Are you sure? Because it seems to me from what I've seen on movies that - "

Knowing that I was winding her up, I tried not to smile when she gritted her teeth and said, "Alright, then how about this? Elena and I don't do that."

"So, she's never worn a new perfume that made you say, 'Oh, Elena, what were you thinking? That reeks.'"

Caroline did a double take of me and must've seen me trying not to laugh, because she said, "Stop it! You know I've got important things on my mind right now. All you're doing is distracting me."

I nodded in understanding and then sat back in my seat before saying, "So, do I smell like - "

Slapping the table and turning to look at me, she quasi-yelled, "Oh my God! Why do you keep asking me - "

"Because your nose isn't as good as his, but it's better than mine, and I don't know how Elena smells. I figured you might. I know Mason said I smelled different than Katherine. It's one of the things that gave me away, and Damon says I don't smell like Elena, or at least my blood doesn't. He says I smell like a ham sandwich compared to her steak dinner scent."

Her annoyance finally broke, and she giggled. Leaning closer, she whispered, "You're fine. If he notices anything, which he won't, just tell him you changed your shampoo."

"And if he sees Elena and notices she smells the same as she always does?"

Putting her hand over mine, Caroline said, "Eve, he isn't going to care. He's got other things on his mind right now. You didn't see the video. It looked terrifying."

I slowly nodded and then said, "You called me Eve."

She looked annoyed again. "I'm trying . . . Elena! It's just getting really hard to keep all the lies straight! And why do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Pick on me. All I've done is try to help you, and - "

"Caroline, calm down, or I will knock you out."

Sitting back in her seat and huffing, while she crossed her arms over her chest, Caroline muttered, "You mean snap my neck. I still can't believe you did that to me."

Shrugging while I sat back with her, I said, "I saw an opening, so I took it, and you told me not to go easy on you . . . and no, that's not what I meant. I mean, I will dart you. It'll last longer, and then there will be no werewolf changing party for you."

She gave me a shocked look. "You wouldn't - "

"I most certainly would . . . It's what any bodyguard worth their salt would do."

"You're not my body guard!"

"Uh, yeah, I am."

"And a body guard wouldn't do that. They wouldn't tranquilize the person they're trying to protect."

"Secret service?"

"No! You couldn't have the president be unconscious for any length of time, or the vice president would have to be sworn in as president . . . I learned that in class. Something you would know if you'd ever been to one."

I exhaled a laugh, and she relaxed. "Feel better?" 

"No," looking at the napkin she'd started shredding in her hands, she said, "Maybe."

"You're a wreck. I know I'm adding to the stress of this whole situation for you. You'd probably be fine if you didn't have to worry about me, but I want to make sure nothing happens to you."

She sighed and shook her head. "So, you're making me work out my nerves now before he shows up."

"It seems to be working. You look less . . . sketchy."

"Sketchy? Me? I do not look sketchy, like ever."

"Okay, well then you look less like a girl that's got a wire taped to her chest just before she goes to meet the big mob boss . . . Is there a word that encompasses all of that?"

I looked off to the side in thought, and she leaned into my shoulder. "I think the word you're looking for is nervous."

"Or two words . . . freaked out?"

She nodded, while she focused on the napkin. "Or freaked out . . . It's just that I know this is going to be bad for him, and I won't know what to do, but I'll have to be strong, so he doesn't get even more scared, and you're right. You being there doesn't help. What if he tries to bite me, and I yell your name instead of Elena's?"

"He'll probably remember having tried to bite you more when he comes back to being him than what you call me, but maybe you could say you were trying to say, 'Eve - il fangs get away from me!'" 

She smiled and glanced in my direction. "Eve - entually, we'll have to talk about this, but not right now." 

"Ooh, I like that one."

"Do you really think it'll be okay?"

"I do. It may be painful. It may be horrifying. It may be the worst thing that he's ever had to go through, but he has no choice but to go through it. His body won't let him have it any other way."

Caroline gave me a little resolute nod before she said, "He's at the door," and looked up to watched Tyler come through the door. I thought that would be a pretty cool power to have. If someone you didn't like was about to enter, you could just make yourself scarce. He made his way up to us looking a little nervous and unsure, but trying to cover it with a certain kind of cockiness. Caroline had told him that my birth Mom'd had a whole bunch of research on werewolves that might be able to help. That's how I was able to go along, so I had some of the books with me, and if Tyler talked to the real Elena about it afterwards . . . well, we'd cross that bridge when we came to it, but they both had things they were dealing with individually in their lives, so maybe it wouldn't come up? 

Tyler was even more agitated, because Caroline's Mom was officially listing Mason as a missing person. Apparently, a woman from Florida was here looking for Mason, and despite the fact that the lie that'd been told about him going back to Florida was now no longer believable, it immediately peaked my interest. If Katherine was his 'girlfriend,' then who was this woman? Was she a friend? Was she part of his pack? While we were getting up to leave, I fired off a text to Damon to tell him what was happening, and he immediately rang me. I gave him what details I could and then stopped by Matt. "Hi Matt."

"Hi, Elena." Ducking his head, he said, "Look, I remember bits and pieces of how I acted at the party. I'm pretty sure I wasn't very nice to you, so I wanted to apologize."

Well, look at that. He was apologizing to the right girl. One potential problem gone. "That's okay. It's been a stressful year."

He chuckled sadly, like that was an understatement. "Yeah, it has."

As Tyler walked out the door, Matt's eyes followed him, and I said, "Did you hear about his uncle?"

"No, what happened?"

"There's a woman here from Florida looking for him, because he never went back to Florida. He's officially a missing person."

"Oh man, that sucks. What is it with people disappearing in this town?"

Well, in this instance, I killed the guy, but I wasn't going to say that. "I don't know . . . Hey, I think Tyler might like a chance to talk to that woman a little more . . . maybe see if they can figure out his uncle's movements or at least get some kind of idea of what his uncle's life is like down in Florida, and she might be leaving soon, so if she comes in here looking for his uncle, could you give Caroline a text and let us know?"

"Uh, what's wrong with your phone?"

I rolled my eyes. "I dropped it in the sink while I was doing dishes."

He had a little laugh at my expense and said, "Yeah, sure, I'll let Caroline know . . . All right, well, I've got to get back to work. It was good talking to you."

I wanted to say that I doubted that, because I had only brought another negative into his life, but instead, I smiled, and said, "It was good talking to you too, Matt. Have a good night," before bounding out the door and hurrying to catch up with Tyler and Caroline. 

On our trek through the woods, I was stepping over a log when I felt a swift slap to the back of my head. Ducking, I looked back to see Caroline glaring at me. "Did you tell Matt to text me?!"

Well I couldn't very well tell him to text my phone. He didn't have my number. He had Elena's. "Uh, yeah."

"Well, thanks for letting me know. I was all excited about it until I saw it was for you." 

I was a little surprised that'd worked. Pretending to be Elena in public seemed to have it's advantages as much as it's draw backs. Giving her a sheepish look, I said, "I didn't think about that."

Sighing, she pointed her phone face in my direction. "Well, here's your message." 

"She came in looking specifically for Tyler?"

Rolling her eyes before putting her phone away, Caroline said, "That's what it says." 

Tyler was up ahead of us a little ways, just far enough that I didn't think he could hear us with his enhanced hearing, but we were gaining on him now that we'd started walking with him again, so I didn't say anything else about it. It's just that the woman didn't know him, and from the sounds of it on the car ride, Mason had never mentioned this woman, so Tyler didn't know she existed until this morning, and Tyler had said his Mom was handling things with the woman, so if she was looking for Tyler, it couldn't be to find out more about Mason's whereabouts. He didn't know anything more about that than his Mom did. 

I texted Damon and told him she was at the Grill and then I sent him a text telling him that if he saw her to be nice. If she was a werewolf, then she could help Tyler, and I wouldn't have to go searching high and low for other werewolves for Tyler to meet. When we got to the Lockwood cellar, we had a look around. It seemed more like a medieval torture chamber than a cellar. I saw some claw marks on the walls and reached out to touch them. They were a good reminder that the teeth weren't the only thing that was dangerous on a werewolf. You had to mind the claws too . . . Although I was able to live with the scratches Mason gave me.

Dropping my duffle bag on the ground, I found a corner to hide in while I pulled out a book to make it look like I was doing something. Really, there wasn't too much in these books that would tell you how to get through a transformation, but Mason must've had some help with his first one, because if Mason's video journal is where Tyler got his idea for the wolfsbane, he was right. According to the books, that should help weaken him somewhat and make the transformation go a little smoother. 

As the clock ticked down, it felt like it was going faster, and I felt the need to speed up my reading, so I could find something. Eventually giving up on that, I got up and went over to investigate the bindings Tyler had gotten ready. "These won't hold."

He came over to look. "What are you talking about? Didn't you hear me tell Caroline the guy said they'd hold 5000 pounds?"

"Yeah, but the problem isn't the chains. You did a good job with those. They're perfect." I offered him an encouraging smile before pointing at the rings that attached the chains to the walls and floor. "It's these. They're the weak point, because they're old . . . Your Dad wasn't a werewolf, right?" I looked at Tyler, and he shook his head. I nodded absentmindedly before looking back down at the rings and said, "And Mason . . . when did he trigger it?"

I knew perfectly well it'd been a year ago, but I'd learned my lesson on knowing too much of his business and letting him know I knew it at the masquerade ball. "I don't know. About a year ago, I guess."

"Okay, so he never had a chance to use this place either, because he was in Florida. That means that at best, your grandfather was the last one to use these . . . or one of his brothers . . . either way that's over a generation since these things have been used. Maybe longer." 

Running his hand through his hair, he nodded. "I see what you're saying. So, what do we do about it?"

"In the time we have? There's nothing that can be done about these, but if you know these won't work, then we can plan for what to do when you get out of them." Turning to look behind me, I said, "Like we make sure that you can't get out through the doors. We check them and double check them to find the weak points and try to fortify them before it starts, and you can feel more secure. It's one less thing to stress you out with everything else that will be happening."

"Yeah, okay." Looking behind me at the books, he said, "Have you had any luck with those?"

"Uhm. Maybe. Do you think your Dad knew what Mason was?"

"No, my Dad hadn't heard from Mason in about 5 years."

"And I'm assuming he kept everything about your family's secret here on your property somewhere, kind of like my parents have most of the Gilbert journals in their house or the cabin."

Seeming interested, Tyler said, "If he did, I haven't found them, but he did have the moonstone, so he might have them hidden somewhere I don't know about."

"Okay, so Mason didn't have the basic tools that all Lockwoods have if they trigger the curse either. He was in Florida, so he had to figure it out on his own. You said that Mason's journals say that drinking wolfsbane made the transformation easier by making you weaker. My books say the same thing. Now he could have gone looking for them in books like the ones I have, but my birth Mom spent years finding most of these, and Mason wouldn't have had that much time. It got me thinking. If Mason knew about the wolfsbane . . . maybe he had some help, and maybe that woman who showed up today was it."

His brow furrowed. "You think Jules is a werewolf?"

"Well, something tells me she wasn't his girlfriend. Did she say she was, or did she say he was just a friend."

"She just said they were friends."

"Isn't it strange that this 'just friend' showed up on a full moon looking for a guy who is a werewolf?" His eyes widened, while his jaw dropped, like he couldn't believe he'd missed it. "Maybe she's in his pack. Those books say that all werewolves have one. It may not help tonight, but maybe your uncle's pack could show you the ropes on how to make this easier the next time."

He thought about it and looked at the doorway as Caroline came into the room. "I can't just leave my Mom to move to Florida."

"I understand, but here's the thing. The books say that werewolves are extremely loyal to their pack, so Mason's would help you, and that means you have one of three choices. Go to Florida until you get the hang of this. Stay here and have them help you here, but have a whole pack of werewolves running around your town once a month, or you keep trying to figure this out on your own with two girls who could never possibly understand."

Glancing in the direction of Caroline, he said, "I don't know. One of you seems to understand pretty well."

"You say that now, but wait until - "

"Elena!" 

I looked over my shoulder and sweetly said, "Yes, Caroline?"

"Don't scare him. He's got enough to be dealing with right now . . . Just help him get through tonight."

Looking between us, Tyler seemed amused, while he asked, "Is something going on with you two?"

Uh, I'm not Elena, and I tend to annoy her? No, don't say that. Waving him off, I walked away from him and went to start checking the doors leading out of here for weak spots. "Just nerves. She really cares about you."

"Elena!"

"Yes, Caroline?"

"We both care about you, Tyler. That's why we're here."

"Yeah, but Caroline cares a little bit more." 

She quickly stood up and marched towards the door saying, "Elena, can I talk to you outside?"

Rolling my eyes, I followed her, and as soon as we were outside, she pinned me to a tree by my throat. "What are you doing? I love Matt."

Looking bored, I said, "He likes you Caroline, like likes you likes you. I only had to spend a few hours with you two to see it, and you are out of your mind with worry for him. I think there something behind that."

Letting me go and looking away from me in disgust, she said, "Ew! Tyler? I do not like Tyler."

"Why not? He's a good looking guy, and he is perfect, because unlike Matt, he knows all about the supernatural world now."

"Stop playing matchmaker. You're terrible at it, and maybe you should focus on your own love life instead of mine."

She left it wide open for me to ask her what she was talking about, but I knew she was just looking for a way to insult me, so I didn't take the bait. "Caroline, these transformations are tied to their emotions, and I'm trying to give him some hope on what will be the worst day of his life. He should have something to look forward to when this is over." 

"Well, don't use me to do it!"

She turned to walk away from me, and I whispered, "It's what helped Mason . . . having someone to love and feeling like he was loved back."

She stopped and came back to me. "I can't make myself feel something for him that I don't just to help him through this."

"But it's not fake." Pointing to her chest, I said, "You feel it. You just don't want to admit it, because you can't let go of Matt, but once you do, you'll be a lot happier."

"I don't understand why - "

"Because I'm right. You didn't even look at Matt today at the Grill, and when was the last time you actually talked to him? Compare that to how much time you've spent with Tyler lately and the fact that you knew he was coming through the door before he'd even opened it, like your senses were searching for him. Don't mistake the drama surrounding your relationship with Matt for true love, because it's not."

Taking a step closer, she glowered at me and asked, "What would you know about it?"

"You don't want to believe me? Fine, but pay close attention to how seeing Tyler in pain makes you feel tonight."


	29. How Do You Say Goodbye?

"I hate you! I really, really hate you!" I rolled my eyes as I followed Caroline into the boarding house. She was just mad, because I was right. She'd been devastated watching Tyler transform, but for me, a non-caring bystander, it'd been cringeworthy and made me feel a lot of sympathy more than anything. After our talk, now she knew there might be something there, but she still didn't want to admit it, and that was why she apparently hated me. A few steps into the foyer, she stopped dead in her tracks and quickly turned around to push me back out the door. 

I waited until we were outside before asking, "What are you doing?"

"I smell dog, and it's not us."

"Werewolf?" She nodded and looked back at the house, while I unzipped my duffle bag to grab my dart gun. I hadn't had to use it on Tyler tonight, so I might as well put it to good use. Holding it in the same grip I would my wooden bullets gun, I kept it pointed down at an angle, so all I had to do if I saw something move was aim and fire. Keeping Caroline behind me, while I opened the front door, I took point and scanned the foyer, while inching my way forward. When I got to the main living room, I halted and peeked around the corner. 

Damon was sitting on the couch with Rose and gave me a weird look. "Eve? What are you doing?"

Relaxing as I held the gun at my side, I went around the corner and pointed my thumb over my other shoulder . "Caroline said she smelled werewolf. I was being cautious." Looking at the broken window, I said, "I take it you didn't play nice with Jules."

He seemed distracted. "No . . . Come here and look at this."

When I got closer, I saw Rose's robe was exposing her shoulder and stopped short at the sight of it. Caroline gasped, "What happened?"

Rose mumbled, "I was bitten," before looking at Damon for confirmation.

He took a deep breath before looking back at Rose's shoulder and gently pulling her robe back up to cover it. "Yeah. It healed straight away, but now it's - "

Rose was quick to say, "It is what it is," before plastering on a smile and turning her head to look back at us. "I'm sure it'll be fine."

"But - " I grabbed Caroline's hand and briefly squeezed it to make her stop. We all knew it was fatal. Nobody was ready to hear it just yet. I read somewhere that denial was almost aways the first stage. 

Turning to look at Caroline, I said, "Thanks for the lift . . . And you were really great today. I couldn't have done what you did for him. At best, I could've shot him, but you went that extra mile." 

I grinned at the end to accentuate my hidden meaning, that she did it because she liked him, and she huffed in annoyance. "Have I said I hate you, because I do." 

She stormed out, and Damon watched her go saying, "You seem to have that affect on everyone that meets you."

I waited for the door to slam before saying, "All you have to do is know the right buttons to push, and with Caroline, it is so easy." Looking at Rose, I asked, "What do you want me to do?" 

She made Damon move over, so she could make room and patted the seat next to her, so that's where I sat. Taking my hand, she said, "What I would love is to hear your song?"

"What - "

"The one you've been working on and want to be perfect. I'd like to hear it."

Oh. I forced myself not to look at Damon. Did he tell her that it was on my bucket list? Was this a 'we're both going to die, and I'd like to help you do one of the things you want to get done before I go,' kind of moment? I was a little shocked by it. "Okay. One song for the 'Soon to be Dead Club' coming right up."

I stood up to go get my guitar, and paused outside the doorway of the room when I heard Damon say, "I'll go tell her to stay in her room."

"Don't hold it against her. She's young, and she's human. She doesn't know how to deal with this, so she's going to say and do things to try and distance herself from it, the way she just did with her little friend, but she wasn't wrong. That is why I want to hear it . . . She is a clever girl."

What was it with vampires from 500 years ago calling me clever? I rolled my eyes and made my way to my room and took a shaky breath when I picked it up. I'm sure they might be able to hear me practicing it sometimes during the day, but this was the first time I was playing it in front of anyone. My confidence was a lot lower on this than the piano, but she was dying, and if it's what she wanted, then I'd do it for her. It was the right thing to do.

Walking back into the room with my guitar case, I noticed that Damon had disappeared and felt a little easier about having an audience of one. I took a seat on the coffee table in front of her and opened the case, while saying, "On the chorus, I may let the song down because it just doesn't sound right if there isn't a beat, so I have to tap the beat out with my foot, while I'm playing, and I'm just not that coordinated yet."

"Warning noted." We both smiled, and while I placed the guitar on my thigh, she sat forward to rest her forearms on her knees before asking, "Do you sing?"

Staring vacantly at the floor, I forced myself to look at her, a little unnerved by the question. "My voice is too weak to really - "

"Give it a try. I won't judge, and even if I did, I won't be around long to do it. What have you got to lose?"

Her gallows humor made me faintly smile. "Nothing, I guess. Can you play?"

"A long time ago." 

I smiled. "Yeah, like you hadn't played piano in decades. I bet it stuck with you just like that did."

"Maybe. I might be able to give you a few pointers, but I have to hear it first."

Taking another shaky breath, I nodded before looking back down at my guitar and was really feeling strongly in that moment that I didn't want her to die. "You're not offended by language are you, because there is language - "

"Sweetheart, I'm a vampire, not much offends me."

I smirked. "You haven't heard me play yet." 

She laughed, and I said, "Okay, it's called _Suicide_ and it's by The Raveonettes." I bit my bottom lip before strumming the first chord. I wasn't looking forward to singing it. I never did that, but if it's what she wanted, I'd do it.

_Dream little girl_  
_On lonely street_  
_Little runaway girl_  
_Do it again_  
_Do it again_

_Your boyfriend's mean_  
_And your mom's a bitch_  
_Little run away girl_  
_Do it again_  
_Do it again_

All of that was pretty easy. It was this next part. I could play it, but my foot tapping was all over the place. Still I tried.

_Run run run away little girl_  
_Get your fun in this trashy world_  
_Empty-hearted boys by your side_  
_Lick your lips and fuck suicide_

_Suicide_  
_Aaaah - oh_  
_No Tonight_  
_Aaaah - oh_  
_Suicide_  
_Aaaah- oh_  
_No Tonight_

It got easy again for the verse.

_Your ripe for love_  
_New York's the shit_  
_Little runaway girl_  
_Do it again_  
_Do it again_

_On the Brooklyn Bridge_  
_You fix your stare_  
_The East River sleeps_  
_Do it again_  
_Do it again_  
_Do it again_  
_Do it again_

Rose asked, "Is the chorus coming up again?" I nodded, and she asked, "Do you want me to keep the beat for you?" I spared a glance in her direction to give her a nod to cue her in on it, and we did it together, but I was able to focus more on the playing than the tapping, and it came out better. 

_Run run run away little girl_  
_Get your fun in this trashy world_  
_Empty-hearted boys by your side_  
_Lick your lips and fuck suicide_

_Suicide_  
_Aaaah - oh_  
_No tonight_  
_Aaaah - oh_  
_Suicide_  
_Aaaah - oh_  
_No tonight_

I nodded to let her know she could stop, and then I played the bridge, and then nodded to cue her in on the final chorus.

_Run run run away little girl_  
_Get your fun in this trashy world_  
_Empty-hearted boys by your side_  
_Lick your lips and fuck suicide_

_Suicide_  
_Aaaah - oh_  
_No tonight_  
_Aaaah - oh_  
_Suicide_  
_Aaaah - oh_  
_No tonight_

I cued her on when to stop and gave her a sad smile when it was over. "It sounds better with two people."

She returned my sad smile and gave me nod before saying, "Okay, let's take it from the top, and this time I want you to forget about whoever told you that you have a weak voice. That's a load of rubbish." My Mom said I did. I knew I could hit all the right notes. My pitch might not be off, but I tended to agree with Mom, because I just didn't have a proper singing voice, but Rose was dying, and I'd try if it helped us both forget that for a little while.

"Okay. Could you maybe try claps on the second section of the verses if I show you where?"

Giving me another soft smile, she said sure, and we worked on it together until around 7 or 8 am when she told me she heard Stefan, and I should go. She'd been steadily getting worse, so I thought maybe she was imagining it, but better safe than sorry. Maybe Bonnie had found a way to get him out. That probably meant that Katherine was out too. After I turned the corner of my hallway, guitar case in hand, I heard the door open and Stefan's voice talking to someone. I guess I'd find out why he wasn't in the tomb when I woke up.


	30. Easing the Pain

I'd had a late night, so I slept in pretty late, and by the time I woke up, Elena was there, so I couldn't come out of my room. Well, I did. That's how I knew she was there, but I quickly retreated back to my room feeling a little pissed off that she was there. I thought she was supposed to be locked away in her house, not here. While I waited for her to leave, I contented myself with doing some school work. I think playing the song with Rose last night, we got it to as perfect as we could. I'd been really happy with it, and I think I could mark it off my list. I'd never admit it, but I didn't know if I'd ever be able to play it again when she was dead, because I'd associate it with her, and I'd know it couldn't be perfect without her. Maybe I would play it for her funeral or a personal wake for one. 

Regardless, I marked it off my list, and maybe if I put more effort into my schoolwork, I'd be able to graduate, but I had a years worth of work to do and not a whole lot of time to do it. The problem is that my mind wasn't really on my schoolwork. I didn't know how much time Rose had, and I didn't know how I felt about that. I was very familiar with death, but it was usually by my own hand or happened to victims I didn't know. This was different. I had no control over what was going to happen, and I knew Rose. Was I supposed to be doing something? It felt like I should. 

And how did Stefan get out of the tombs? Where was Damon, and why Elena was the one babysitting Rose? I shouldn't have slept in so late, but at the same time, I wouldn't trade the time I'd spent with Rose last night for time with her now. If she'd been getting worse before I went to sleep, who knew how she was now . . . Still, I'd like to check in on her.

I was just finishing a short essay on symbolism in the _Old Man and the Sea_ when I heard a loud crash followed by a scream. Reaching my hand under my desk, I snatched the stake that was taped under there and was out the door before I could really think the ramifications of it through, but that's what I tended to do when I heard someone scream. I made my way to the foyer just in time to see Elena running up the stairs to the lived-in side of the boarding house with Rose in pursuit, so I followed them. Elena made it to one of the rooms and slammed the door shut. I made it to the top of the stairs, and you could hear Elena barricading the door. Rose slumped against it and tried opening it, but she was too weak to do it. "Elena? I know that's you and not Katherine." She gave a horrendous cough and spat out some blood into her hand. Looking scared, she started to beg. "Elena? Please, I need your help." 

Whatever had made her think that Elena was Katherine had worn off, but it would appear that Elena wasn't taking any chances. See, she was the clever one. Me, on the other hand? Tucking my stake into the back of my jeans, I whispered, "Pst."

Roses's head snapped in my direction. "Eve, help me!" 

I put my finger up to my lips, and looked at the door, while I got closer. If poor Rose was really starting to lose it, I hoped Elena thought that was what that slip up was about. Taking my master key that opened any door in the house from around my neck, I used it to lock Elena into the room from the outside and then threw Rose's arm around my shoulders, so I could help guide her to another place. Whispering, I asked, "Where do you want to go?"

Crying, she answered rather pitifully, "Home. I just want to go home."

I didn't know where her home was, but maybe we could come up with something to make her feel like she was home. "Tell me about it."

"I thought I already did, Elena."

I didn't have the heart to correct her. Touching my temple to hers as I walked her down the stairs, I said, "Remind me again."

"St. Austell, thirty kilometers south of London. With fields and trees and horses."

I tried to brainstorm, while I took her to what I called the piano room. London . . . England, England, England . . . her home when she was human. She still thought of that as home? Fields . . . trees . . . horses. I might be able to come up with something, while we waited for Damon to come back. I helped her into a comfortable corner of the room and went to open the curtains, not wide enough that the light hit her in the shadows, but far enough that she could see out the window from where she was. "Look, Rose . . . trees. Can you see them?"

She nodded, while curling into a ball on her side, and I said, "I'll be right back . . . Don't go anywhere." 

I ran out the door and stopped to ask myself whether or not I should lock her into the room, but decided against it. She didn't have a daylight ring, and the light from the window I'd opened cut a line right across the room, so she had to stay where she was. When I got to my room, I grabbed my spare pillow, comforter, and laptop. Running back to her, I helped lift her head onto the pillow and wrapped her up in the comforter opening my laptop, and finding a really long video on horses. I put it on the ground in front of her face, so she could see it, and she smiled before reaching forward to touch the screen where one of the horses was grazing. Feeling a little surer that she felt calmer and therefore better than when she'd been scared, I went over to the piano and sat in front of it, so I could play _Let It Be_.

I felt tears prick my eyes when she mumbled, "Mm . . . I love this song." I remembered. That's why I was playing it. It's what she'd said the first day we started to get along. When I was done, I glanced at her, and she appeared to be sleeping. If the music was relaxing her enough to do that, then I didn't want to stop playing, so I decided to stick with the Beatles by playing _Hey Jude_. I took a chance on the next one by switching to _Ruby Tuesday_ by the Rolling Stones, but thinking of the lyrics really started getting to me around the third verse.

_"There's no time to lose," I heard her say_  
_Catch your dreams before they slip away_  
_Dying all the time_  
_Lose your dreams and you could lose your mind_  
_Ain't life unkind?_

I had to stop, but when I did, I heard Rose say, "Keep playing. I like this song." I looked in her direction, and she was watching me. She got a little blurry, and swallowing, I looked at the keys before nodding. "Will you sing, Eve?" I bit the inside of my cheek and gave her another nod before picking up where I'd left off.

_"Goodbye Ruby Tuesday_  
_Who could hang a name on you?_  
_When you change with every new day_  
_Still I'm gonna miss you_

_Goodbye Ruby Tuesday_  
_Who could hang a name on you?_  
_When you change with every new day_  
_Still I'm gonna miss you_ " 

Instead of finishing, I transitioned immediately into _Life on Mars_. It was harder to sing, but it always made me feel better, and I might as well stick with the British artists. I knew she was from an entirely different century from these songs, but British pride and all of that . . . maybe it'd help her feel closer to home. I kept playing songs until I heard her groan in pain before coughing. She rolled over and spat blood all over my pillow and blanket, but I didn't care about that. I went to help her, and she put her hand out to stop me. "Don't come any closer . . . I need blood, Eve . . . I - "

"Okay, I know where Damon keeps it." Taking off at a sprint, I ran down the hall and down the stairs into the basement. When I got to the bottom, I could see blood bags already littering the floor. She must've already hit this stash in a big way, and if she did, and if she was still as bad as she was right now, the blood wasn't helping at all. She really was going to die. I mean, I knew that already, but the reality of it sort of hit me in that moment. I didn't have time to dwell on it for long. Grabbing as many bags as I could fit into my hands, I ran back to the room, but when I got there, Rose was gone. "Rose?"

I dropped the bags on my comforter and turned to go find her, searching every nook and cranny I could, but I didn't see her anywhere, and when I got back to the entrance hall, I slumped in defeat when I saw the front door standing wide open. Either she'd gone while I was in the basement, and in my haste to get back to her, I'd completely missed it, or she'd been in the house and had gotten out, while I was looking for her. If animals wandered off into the wilderness to die, it felt an awful lot like vampires dying of werewolf bites did the same thing. I didn't want her to be alone, so out the door I went.

It took me at least an hour and a half to find her. It involved following little drops of blood sprinkled around the place. Some spots were larger than others, as if someone had coughed it up, and others were smaller, like she'd just kept going without caring that the blood was dripping out of her. Eventually, I found her near a school. "Rose!"

She dropped the body of the man she was holding and rounded on me. "Katerina!

"No, it's Eve!"

She didn't hear me. I'm not even sure she saw me. She saw something, but it was like she was watching a movie in her mind rather than what was actually in front of her. I backed away from her, one hand on the grip of my stake, and the other outstretched in a universal signal for her to stay back. "Rose, do not bite me . . . I have vervain in my system. You're already sick. It could kill you . . . don't - " She flashed towards me, tackling me out of the alleyway and behind some parked cars, reared her head back and clamped down on my neck. Fuck, I forgot how much that hurts. Without thinking, I pulled my stake and jammed it through her neck, her jaws unclamped from around my throat, and I wrapped my legs around her waist, so I could roll on top of her. Withdrawing the stake, I held it high above me, while using my other hand to hold her on the ground. With tears in my eyes, I yelled, "Don't make me kill you, Rose," and something like recognition flashed behind her eyes. 

"Eve?" Her gaze trickled from my eyes and then with horror to my neck, and past me to the alleyway where the dead man lay.

Taking shallow, panicked breaths, her eyes flooded with sorrow, and she was sobbing, "What have I done? I'm so sorry, I never meant - "

Relaxing my arms, and sitting back on her legs, I tried to cajole her into being calm. "Shh . . . It's okay. You couldn't help it. It's okay. I'm fine . . . I'm fine . . . Rose, look at me! I'm fine."

She launched herself up at the waist, so she could wrap her arms around me in a tight hug. "I'm so sorry, Eve. I'm so sorry."

Smoothing my hand down the back of her hair in a soothing manner, I whispered, "I know you are . . . It's okay." Pulling back, so I could hold her head between my hands, I said, "All is forgiven."

Her eyes darted to the alleyway. You couldn't see the body from here, but she knew what she'd done. "But - "

"Hey." She looked at me. "On behalf of all humanity, I forgive you . . . This is not your fault." I knew exactly who's fault this was, and it wasn't hers. It wasn't Damon's either. A few nasty words in a bar did not give someone the right to do this to someone else, and Jules went to the Salvatore's last night intending to do this to someone. Looking around, I said, "Come on . . . Let's get you out of here before anyone finds that man, okay?"

She nodded tiredly, and I got off of her before stepping behind her to help lift her onto her feet. Wrapping my arm around her waist after throwing her arm around my shoulders, I started the long trek back to the boarding house. She was really weak, and couldn't give me much help, so when my phone rang a few blocks away, I was more than happy to answer it. I leaned Rose up against a wall to help me keep her upright, while I stopped and breathlessly said, "Damon?"

"Where are you? I think Rose - "

"I have her. We're a few blocks from the school. How fast - "

"I'm at the school. You're on your way home?"

"Yeah."

"I'll be there in 5."

Normally, I hated waiting. I'd find something to do while I was waiting, so it didn't feel like waiting, like in this instance, I could keep walking until Damon got here, but Rose was so wrecked that I didn't want to put her through that, so I used the wall to help us sit, wrapped an arm around her shoulders, careful to mind the infection, and held her close, so she could rest against me until he got there. She kept mumbling that she wanted me to make it stop, but I was reaching the end of my tether on what I could handle, so I mostly ignored her. 

When he pulled up, he was out of the car in a flash, and I appreciated him not asking what happened. Now wasn't the time for that. It was the time to get her somewhere more comfortable, and that seemed to be his main concern too. Damon picked her up and took her to the car. I opened the door in the back and got in before he put her in next to me. While he got in the front, I said, "Here. Lay down. Use me as a pillow," and then helped her get settled with her head in my lap. On the way there, I smoothed out the lines of pain etched in her forehead, but kept my attention directed out the window. I really didn't like seeing her like this. 500 years, and this is how she was going to go out. I'd say it was heartbreaking, but really it was infuriating.

When we got back to the boarding house, I followed Damon as he carried Rose to the door, but stopped myself from following him inside. "I locked Elena in a room upstairs." If he heard me, he didn't indicate he had, and I turned to walk around back. I didn't know if Stefan was home, but I didn't see his motorcycle, which was always parked outside now that Damon had used my car to take it's spot in the garage, so I assumed he wasn't. Even if he wasn't here, Elena was, and I didn't know how good her lock-picking skills were. Probably better than mine. I didn't want to chance walking into her if I went in the front. It helped that I didn't have to worry about her human ears hearing me come in the back. That door was a little squeaky. 

Closing the door behind me, I heard voices upstairs and ignored them, while I went left down the hall that led to my room. Stopping at the piano room, I gathered up the blood bags, lap top, comforter, and pillow before taking them to my room and then threw them on my bed. I didn't know what I was going to do with them. Wait until Elena left and then burn them? Yeah, that sounded like a plan. 

Grabbing some clothes, I walked into my bathroom and took a shower, so I could get the blood off of me, and mindful of the holes in my neck. When I climbed out of the shower, I swiped a hand across the mirror and ignored the scream coming from the other side of the house that said it hurt and to make it stop, while I reached under the sink to grab some gauze and disinfectant, so I could bandage myself and then got dressed in a long-sleeve black t-shirt, black jeans, black socks, and a pair of black boots. Going back into my room, I laid back on the bed and turned on my listening device before putting the headphones over my ears. It'd gone quiet around the house. I didn't think Elena was here anymore, and I didn't know if that meant Rose was dead yet, or if she was just sleeping. 

Adjusting the dial, I could hear Damon talking . . . to himself, like having a one-sided conversation . . . except it wasn't one-sided, was it? Vampires could go into your mind when you slept. It's why if you aren't ingesting vervain, you should always wear it, even when you sleep, because your mind was susceptible then. He could've had this entire conversation without saying anything, but I think the situation was getting to him, so occasionally, he'd say something out loud instead of in his head. I didn't listen to him when he did. It was a private conversation that I had no business hearing. There was really only one thing I was waiting to hear, and that was the moment I would know it was over. That moment came, I don't know how many minutes later. I recognized the sound quite well. It was the sound of a stake being thrust into flesh and then that final gasp before Damon broke down. 

As soon as I heard it, I threw the headphones off, got up from bed, and went to my cabinet where Caroline had put my weapons. My hand felt along all the different handles until I got to my machete. Grabbing it, I strapped the sheath around my waist and pulled out one of my pocket flashlights before sliding it into one of the loops on my belt. Taking one of my shoulder holsters out, I put it on and slid one of my dart guns into it before sliding darts into the ammo loops. I snatched my leather jacket off it's hook and swung it on over my arms before loading the pockets with empty vervain grenades and then tucked my balaclava along with my leather gloves into a zipped pocket. 

Lastly, I went to my window, unlatched it, and tossed my comforter, bloody clothes, and pillow out before following them. Taking them with me into the woods, I found a good place to set them ablaze, and then left the mini-funeral pyre behind, while I took out my flashlight and went in search of wolfsbane.


	31. I Am a Hunter, This Is Nothing New

Lurking in the shadows and pretending to be Elena does come in useful every now and then. Leaving the sheriff's office, I pulled down my newly acquired sunglasses, and headed in one of the many directions that lead out of Mystic Falls, muttering, "That dirty, bitch."

She hadn't just killed Rose. Hanging out in the sheriff's office, while quietly waiting to speak with Sheriff Forbes about something completely superfluous, I was able to hear all the gossip, and some of that gossip included the news that a whole group of campers had been found in the woods outside of Mystic Falls, mutilated and burnt. The cop who radioed it in was dead too. . . skull fractures and a broken neck . . . no bite wounds. That meant she was in her human form when she killed him. I knew it was her. It's not just that it happened on the full moon, but when you've heard the details of vampire kills since you were a small child, I guess you get to know what sounds like a vampire and what doesn't. The pure savagery that'd fallen upon those campers was done by another thing entirely.

Going to see the scene of the crime, I went past the yellow police tape that was there, hoping to find some clues that would lead me in the right direction. I wasn't going back to the boarding house until I found her. I'd spent all last night tracking down wolfsbane, starting a campfire, and boiling the wolfsbane in water, so I could concentrate it down the way you do vervain. All my darts were now loaded with that, and so were my grenade canisters. When they were done, I napped in a pile of leaves and then went to the store to buy a few things I needed, sunglasses included, followed that up with a quick stop at an electronics store, and then waited until mid-morning to go to the sheriff's office, so I could find out if there were any leads I could follow. 

That lead me to the campsite. Being there confirmed it was a werewolf attack. The bodies were long gone along with all of their camping gear and supplies, but there were plenty of claw marks left behind in the dirt and on trees. Those absolutely were not made by a vampire, and they looked exactly like the claw marks I'd seen in the Lockwood's cellar. I looked around for footprints, but if the police officer was killed her when she was human, I figured she must have changed back here, and human tracks were harder to follow. There hadn't been any reports of naked women running around, so she most likely used some of the camper's gear to get dressed . . . It was a dead end for the most part, so I walked back into town. Being on foot really slowed this entire process down, but I was in no real hurry. I'd see that Jules got her due. 

Once I was back in town, I ignored people that walked past unless I got the occasional, "Hi Elena!" My sunglasses not only hid my somewhat different eyes, but they did a pretty good job of hiding me rolling them before I threw on a flashy smile and said, "Hi," right back. Remembering that Jules had wanted to find Tyler on the night of the full moon, I carried on walking straight out the other side of town, thinking that she couldn't possibly be so stupid as to stick around after trying to kill Damon, but if she was still here, then she was most likely going to be hanging around the Lockwood's. 

My hunch paid off, because when I got there, I settled into a good spot to watch the front door and saw a woman stop by about 40 minutes later. She had to knock, which meant she wasn't Tyler's Mom, and she didn't look old enough to be her anyway. He didn't have sisters, and it wasn't a girl from his school. She was too old for that. She was about Mason's age. This had to be her, didn't it? I'd put my certainty at 75%. 

I have to say, I was a little sorry that it'd been that easy to find her. She had guts, but her brains were seriously lacking, and it made the thrill of the hunt feel like it was missing something. I wanted to confront her when she was alone, and I certainly wasn't going to be chasing her down on foot if she was driving a truck. I couldn't exactly just climb into the bed of the truck. She'd probably smell me or hear me. Plus, there were the problems with trying to exit the bed. She'd most likely see me do it.

That meant that I spent a bit of time figuring out how I was going to follow her. I decided to boost one of the Lockwood's cars. No way did they have old cars that I could hot-wire here, so it meant I had to get the keys, which meant going into the house with two werewolves, but I was up for it. Circling the house, I found a window on the first floor that was open and darted across the lawn towards it. Careful to be quiet as I climbed through, I landed softly inside and made my way to the doorway. Hiding, while I listened for any indication that someone was coming this way, I waited until I was sure I was alone and then hurried down the hallway. I didn't know where I was going, but I did know some parts of this house, because I'd been here on the night of the ball, so I knew where the front entrance and living room were. 

Finally, I spotted what I wanted sitting on a table by the door. It was a purse, and purses usually had keys. The problem was that I could hear Jules and Tyler talking in the room to my left, the living room. To get to the keys, I'd have to go right past it . . . or not. When people have people show up at their house, they don't typically lock their doors again until the person leaves. 

Heading back the way I came, I ran to the room with the open window and hopped out before crouching down as I made my way around to the front. I was surprised these people didn't have security cameras considering how big this house was, but they didn't, and it certainly worked to my advantage. Approaching the front door, I made sure I stayed low enough to the ground that nobody would see me from the windows by crawling. Holding my breath, I reached for the handled and exhaled when it turned. Listening out for anybody who might be coming to the door from inside the house, I carefully pushed it open and stuck my hand inside to reach for the purse on the table. 

I licked my bottom lip, while I snapped the purse open, and then searched it until my fingers fell on something metallic. Careful, not to make a sound, I wrapped my hand tightly around it to make sure I had them all and then retrieved what I'd wanted from the bag. My mouth twitched into a smile before I quickly brought the keys to my chest, and then I quietly closed the door, belly crawled off the porch, and sprinted to the car in the driveway, so I could use it for cover. No way would Tyler be caught driving such a luxury car for middle-aged people, so I was pretty sure that it was his Mom's. 

Resting with my back against the side, I quietly tried the key in the door. The alarm shut off, and I held my breath, waiting for anyone to have heard that. 10, 15, 20, 30 seconds passed and nobody came, so I opened the door, crawled inside, and then quietly pulled the door closed before laying down in the front seat. If anyone caught me, I'd just pretend to be Elena and say I was doing a prank. 

I waited about 7 or 8 minutes and then heard the door of the house open and some voices. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but it sounded like Tyler and a woman. It could be his Mom, but nobody came this way after the front door closed. I heard the engine of another vehicle start and slouched down further when I saw the truck go by my window. I watched to see which way it turned out the drive, made sure there was nobody at the front door, and then waited about 45 seconds to follow it. That should be enough time for her not to suspect that I was following her. Starting the car, I kept my eyes on the front door of the house, but whether I was heard or not, I don't know. I was too busy driving away.

Pulling out onto the road, I wondered if I'd waited too long to follow her, because I didn't see her, so I sped up a little and saw her about five miles down the road. She'd taken a road to the left, so I backed up and followed her. We drove for about 15 minutes, and then she turned right. I slowed down and waited before turning right too and proceeded to cautiously do the same at every turn she made. Eventually, she turned onto a utility road going right. It led deeper into the woods, and I was going to make a risky decision and say that there wasn't another way out, so I went past the utility road and kept going for about a mile before pulling over and abandoning the car. I had gone to a lot of effort to get it, but there's no way I could've followed her this far without it, so it'd served it's purpose, and from here, I needed to be more cautious. The engine of a car would be heard by werewolves whether it was a full moon or not. 

Cautiously running through the woods and always alert to my surroundings, I ran in the direction of the utility road, not wanting to get to close, but needing it for a frame of reference, so I could follow it to wherever she'd gone, and about 30 minutes later, I found her truck again. It was parked outside a small camper van. Was this where she was staying? I didn't know, but I needed to find out. I didn't want to rush into this. I wanted to get it right, which meant putting in time and preparation, accounting for unexpected variables, and all the rest of it. 

The first thing I did was find a perch far enough away and well enough hidden that I could use it to observe without being seen or smelled. Licking my finger and sticking it in the air, I found the direction that would make me downwind of the camper van. Stupid that I hadn't thought of that before I followed the utility road through the winds, but it wasn't as important to get it right when I was on the move as it was getting it right now that I was looking for a place I wouldn't be moving from until at least tonight. I was still a quarter of a mile away from the camper van, so I should be good on the hearing front. Their hearing was good, but not as good as their ability to smell. Looking to my left, I found a tall enough tree. There were some taller trees next to it, but if I got up to about the 5th branch up on that one, I should have some cover from the tree itself as well as smaller trees, and then I could find a position where I could look through the cover and see what was happening without being seen.

It took me about 15 minutes to get where I wanted to be, and the only position I found where I could still see the camper van was on the smaller branch on the other side of the tree. It wouldn't be comfortable or most likely safe, but it would hold my weight if I sat on it, and that's all I cared about. I should've brought my binoculars when I left, so I could be even further away, but then I'd wanted to pack light. About 40 minutes later, I remembered why I hate low tech stake outs. I could see Jules and some guy walking around outside the camper van. They kissed a lot, so I'm guessing they were together. I couldn't hear what they were saying. Maybe I didn't need to hear it, but it'd keep me from getting bored. Being bored mostly made how uncomfortable my perch felt stand out more to me.

By late afternoon, Jules got a call on her phone. I don't know what was said, but she started pacing back and forth, and then when she hung up she went up to talk to the guy. He was playing with his campfire, but stood, and then he said something to her, and they both got on the phone to start calling people. Whatever was happening seemed big. About an hour after that, the sun started going down, and Jules and the guy left together in her truck. I stayed where I was. I had no idea what was happening and until I did, I couldn't afford to make a move. It was the smart play, and it paid off.

Just as dusk hit, I saw a pair of headlights pulling along the road, but it wasn't the truck that'd left earlier, and the guys who got out were not Jules or her boyfriend. Maybe 5 minutes later another truck came and then it was another and another, and for some reason that made me smile. It was the whole pack. Now that made this hunt more interesting. It wasn't until maybe 40 minutes after the last vehicle got there that Jules and her boyfriend came back. The guy started bossing everyone else around, and they started moving their trucks. Then he went back to Jules's truck, and opened the back before helping pick someone up from the back. 

My eyes narrowed to help me see clearer. Blonde hair . . . girl . . . unconscious . . . scarf falling from her neck onto the ground . . . flashy clothes . . . Caroline. They were going to war. Well, I had told Mason this would happen. I'd also told him that I was going to kill his entire pack when they showed up, and as much as I wanted to keep my word to him about finding Tyler a pack, this was not a good pack. They were not good people. I'd find him another pack. This one was mine. 

I took stock of all the people I knew were there, I'd memorized the numbers and faces. You needed to have a good memory to be a vampire hunter. You also needed to be patient and disciplined. I suppose you could say that's how I'd been able to keep my sanity in the weeks where I was staking out Elena's house by myself. Know when to make your move . . . and as much as I hated to wait when I heard the first gunshot and Caroline's scream that followed, that was not my moment. 

My moment came 20 minutes and too many screams later when the big guy closest to me was finally left alone. He wandered in my direction, like he was about to take a leak, and that was my moment. He wasn't the Alpha. Obviously Jules's boyfriend was, but he was the biggest one in the pack, and he was going down first. Sliding my gloves on and my balaclava down, I made some noise on my way down, not enough to alert the rest of the pack, but enough that the guy could hear me, and then I got the hell away from where I'd landed, so I could circle around behind him with my machete drawn. 

He gave up looking after a minute or two and decided it was nothing. He must've really had to go. I let him finish, but when he was in the middle of zipping his jeans, I vaulted forward and landed on his back, not giving him enough time to do more than bring his hands to the machete to try and keep me from pulling it through his neck . . . but it was sharp, and I was using both of my hands on the dull side of the blade along with all of my strength, so off came his fingers, and then off came his head.

His knees buckled out from under him, and I fell with him as his body hit the ground. Rolling to get onto my feet, I sprinted to a nearby group of bushes, while some of the others came to investigate. There were two. One got a dart in the neck just below the ear, approximately where the carotid artery is. He fell to his knees, and that got the other's attention, but in the precious moments between realizing that his friend was down and that he should call for help, I'd already stepped forward with a powerful swing of my blade, and his head landed with a thud before rolling next to his friend on the ground. Rushing forward, I kicked the one on his hands and knees in the ribs, so he'd at least land on his side when the wolfsbane knocked him out. It was not easy to get heads off, but it was even harder to do if you started at the back. You needed to get the fleshy parts first, or the spine would slow down the effective momentum of a swing.

Three down. While I reloaded the dart gun, I looked back at the camp sure that if the sound didn't bring them closer, the smell of blood would. I needed to move. Picking up a head by the hair, I circled around the camp in a wide arch and saw a fool that was supposed to be standing sentry over her, but he was stupidly looking in the direction of shouts coming from near where the bodies were. From the shadows, I tossed the head at his feet, and he looked down to see it roll past him like a bowling ball. It took a second for him to process what it was, but that's all the time I needed to dart him. As his knees hit the ground, I swung from left to right, which meant my weak arm was the one with the power behind the swing, and it was not a clean decapitation, so I kicked him in the torso to knock him to the ground and swung down to put him out of his misery before grabbing his head and retreating back into the shadows. 

I needed to keep going. I needed to drown this place in the smell of werewolf blood, because I needed something to keep my scent and location hidden. I picked off another two near the entrance and about halfway around the camp from where I'd started before heading out into the woods to back track and go back the other way. Never leave a pattern they can follow. If they expected me at the 9 o'clock position, because I'd killed at midnight, 3, and 6 o'clock, then go back to 3 or 12. I went back to 12, and there were about 4 of them there now. That worked in my favor, but what happened next worked even better.

The Alpha, having been alerted to the chaos going on outside, stepped out of the camper van holding Caroline by the hair. He thought I was the vampires . . . hadn't expected to be found this soon, but he was prepared, blah, blah, blah. He had a gun to Caroline's heart and said he was going to kill her, but I wasn't concerned about that. What had my attention was the number of werewolves that had backed away from the recesses of the camp sight to form a sort of wall around their leader. They were all in one place . . . Excellent.

Reaching into my pocket, I took out the ultrasonic dog repellers that I'd gotten at the store this morning. I'd had time while I was waiting to link them all together as one, and one by one, I hit them and took the masking tape that I'd also gotten this morning out to make sure the buttons were held down. My thinking was that with 4 to amplify the sound, and the buttons taped down to create a continuous noise, it should act something like Johnathan Gilbert's devise, and it did not disappoint. Every single one of the werewolves dropped to their knees . . . Even Caroline was screaming and clutching her head. The guy holding her tried to fight it. I mean, he still wouldn't let her go, but he did have to take the gun away from her chest, so he could try and use that hand to cover his ear. 

Without another moment's hesitation, I hung the ultrasonic device on a branch next to me, pulled the pin on one of my wolfsbane grenades, and tossed it right in the middle of all of them. It went off, and there was all kinds of screaming that followed, but I threw another and another until the entire place was covered in smoke. Now they couldn't see, hear, or smell what was coming. Stepping into the cloud, I didn't have to go far to run into a werewolf trying to get out of the smoke. He was clutching his eyes, so I tripped him. He hit the ground hard, and I kicked him to roll him over before putting all my strength into a downward swing. His head gone, it was time to move on. 

I could see two more figures up ahead. Swung at the one on my right, and my machete got stuck about halfway through his torso, so with a lot of effort, I had to kick him off of it, while pulling on the blade and then once it was free, finish the job by removing the head. His friend had gotten past me, so I pulled my dart gun and shot him the back before following him out of the wolfsbane cloud and killing him too. There should only be about 4 left plus the alpha and Jules. The ultrasonic dog sensors might still be working but the wolfsbane cloud was dissipating. Walking back into what was left of the could, I loaded my dart gun, since I hadn't been expecting more than just Jules, and therefore hadn't brought my dart gun with an automatic cartridge. Taking aim, I shot a figure, heard the body fall, reloaded, shot another figure in the clouds, reloaded, shot a figure crouched down and screaming, and continued until I didn't see anymore movement before going back to remove each of their heads. I still hadn't killed Jules or her Alpha. I didn't see Caroline anywhere either. Looking at the camper van, I knew where they had to be. 

Rolling my balaclava up over my face, and reaching for my final wolfsbane grenade, I pulled the pin, used the butt of my gun to break some glass at the back, and tossed it inside. If they wanted to hide in there, they could try, but I was going to smoke them out. I heard coughing and swearing, and then Caroline was bolting out the door and running straight for me, so she could throw her arms around me. Patting her back awkwardly, but turning us, so I could keep my eyes on the camper van, I asked, "Are you okay?" 

"Can you turn it off? It's hurting my head."

"Not until they're all dead. Run down the road until you can't hear it anymore. You need to go now. I don't know what they're going to do when they come out of there."

She let me go and started to take off at super slow human speed, but stopped to say, "He hurt me."

"I know. He won't hurt anyone ever again, okay?"

I glanced over my shoulder to look at her, and she nodded before picking up into a jog. My focus returned to the camper van. What were they doing in there? They could easily have left, while I was killing the rest of their pack, but maybe it was all for one and one for all, so they refused to leave the others behind. They could leave now, but maybe they didn't know the others were gone. Walking forward, I twirled my machete into a different grip and swung it back through the front right tire before pulling it out and moving to the back right tire. "You know they're all dead, right? You're all that's left." I poked a hole in that tire too and then stood back in front of the side door, watching the camper van sink lopsidedly and waiting for the door to open.

Finally, there was movement, and the door swung open. A gun being held by a thumb and forefinger was the first thing I saw as I heard a man's voice say, "Okay, I'm coming out."

Rolling my eyes, I said, "Drop the gun the rest of the way, and I might let you." 

It was tossed to the ground, and I saw the Alpha come out with his hands up to show me he was unarmed, but he was alone. "Where is Jules?"

"It's just me."

Looking at the camper van behind him, I said, "Just so you know, I'm searching that after you're dead."

"I swear it's just me." Looking down at his dead pack members, he said, "It didn't have to be this way. All you had to do was - " I heard movement behind me and to the right, so I leveled my gun in that direction and pulled the trigger before looking, and it would appear we had a very sneaky Jules down now. Wolves, they do like to distract you with one at the front, while the others circled behind. How she got there, I didn't know, and I didn't care, because the next thing I knew the alpha was running at me and spraying me in the face with a water gun. I barely registered it as I brought my machete up, so he'd impale himself on the blade. I kicked him off the end, and he fell on his back. I bent over to look at him in confusion, and he said, "You're human."

"That I am. Your little girlfriend has been very bad while she's been in town."

Looking in her direction, he said, "Don't hurt her. All she wanted was to help Tyler. I'm the one that wanted revenge for Mason. The vampires here - "

"They didn't kill Mason." Pointing my machete over his chest I said, "I did," before using both hands to plunge it through his heart and twisting to make sure there was no way it could be healed. Making a swift cut up, so that I could cut it in half and sever it from the aorta, I finished the job and pulled it back out. I wasn't cutting his heart out, but that should just about do it. To be on the safe side though, I went ahead and lopped his head off too. I wasn't taking any chances. Never leave an enemy behind that can come after you at a later time.

That just left Jules. I turned back to look in her direction, but heard a twig snap out in the woods and quickly receded into the shadows, so I could watch and wait for my move. These werewolves just didn't seem to understand that just because they were hearing all kinds of noise from the ultrasonic device I'd made, I didn't, so I could hear everything. When I saw who it was, I retreated back a little further and hid behind a tree. What was Stefan doing here? I closed my eyes and tried to steady my heart as I heard what sounded like tape being pulled apart. He'd found my device and would be able to go back to hearing better than me now. "Hey, Damon. Take a look at this."

Fuck. They were both here. I ignored what they were saying in favor of trying to take slow even breaths. I think it was something about what could've happened here and Caroline said she didn't see what happened and blah, blah, blah . . . just go home. Stefan wasn't supposed to see me, and Damon? I didn't want to see Damon right now either. Caroline was one thing. She'd been a captive that I'd freed, and there was no way of getting around her seeing me, but nobody else was supposed to know I was here. After what felt like forever of them talking and investigating and doing whatever they were doing, I heard Damon tell Stefan to go make sure that Tyler had gotten Caroline to the car okay, and maybe a minute later, I heard him almost yell, "Eve?! You here?"

 _Yes, but I don't want to see you right now._ I couldn't explain it. I just didn't. We'd barely talked since the masquerade ball, and I didn't know why that was. Was it him? Was it me? Was it life? I had no idea. "Eve, I know it was you . . . and something tells me you're still here."

Well, I couldn't leave until Jules was dead. That's if she was even still here. They'd been messing around so long, she could've woken up and snuck off. "Eve, you left without saying anything . . . so is that it? Are you going out on your own now?" Was I? I hadn't really thought about it, but then I didn't really know what I was doing right now. "Eve, I'm not going until I see you."

Well, I needed him to go, so I could finish what I'd started. Swallowing, I took a deep breath and opened my eyes before stepping out from behind my tree, but that's all the further I went. It's really all I needed to go. He saw the movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to look at me. "Eve?"

I didn't say anything. I didn't know what to say. Looking around the camp sight, I could see all the bodies. Maybe that's why I hadn't wanted to see him. I'd wiped out an entire werewolf pack on my own, and I'd been brutal, so brutal that Stefan thought it was possible that an Original Vampire had done it when in reality Katherine was right. I was as ruthless as any vampire when the mood struck. There was so much blood, not to mention all the heads and bodies lying everywhere. I didn't feel guilty about it, and that was probably even worse. I didn't want anyone to see this side of me. My Dad had trained me, but the older I got, the more he didn't like seeing what I did, and if he saw this right now, he would not be proud of me. He'd say good job, but he wouldn't mean it. He'd get that look in his eyes that said, 'what kind of a monster have I created,' and I hated that look. 

I suddenly felt very self-conscious about the blood I was wearing. I'm pretty sure that the alpha's blood had sprayed across my face when I wasn't paying attention. My balaclava, hair, and gloves were soaked in it, so were my clothes. Damon slowly approached me, like he thought I was a wild animal that would run away from him if he got too close, and maybe he wasn't wrong. "I see you went with the bloody option."

I looked past him at the carnage and nodded.

Trying again, he said, "That was my first choice too." I still didn't know what to say. "So are you going to tell me what you're doing here? How did you know they took Caroline, because I have this." He pulled my phone out of his pocket and held it up.

Staring at my phone as he put it back in his pocket, I said, "I was already here."

"Why?"

I looked past him and gave him as direct an answer as possible, like a soldier debriefing a superior. "Jules was my target. The pack got in the way. Getting Caroline out was an unintended bonus. Jules appears to have gotten away. She's not where I left her when I heard Stefan." Holding my breath, I looked up at him and waited for him to say something. I wondered what I must look like to him, and I think my uncertainty showed.

He came a step closer and carefully brought his hand up to the side of my face, like he still didn't want to make any sudden movements. Was he afraid of me? I felt genuine dread at the thought that he might be. "Let it go, and come home."

"What?" My eyes started stinging. I just really didn't expect him to say that. I don't know what I was expecting, but not that. His hand slid to the back of my head, while he pulled me to his chest, and then his arms wrapped around me. I brought my hands up to his back, and he tucked his head against mine before saying, "Just come home. I know I haven't been around much lately, but that's going to change." I remained quiet and just held him a little tighter. "I haven't been telling you things, because I'm trying to protect you." I'd suspected that. "I'm not going to give up on trying to save you from you, Eve. I'm just not. . . . but I'll figure something else out."

"You're not scared of me?" My voice sounded small even to me.

He exhaled a laugh. "Never." 

"But you have to see why I could never turn, right? I'm really screwed up as a human. I'd be 10x worse as - " 

Ignoring me, he asked, "Are you hurt?"

"Not even a little."

"That's an improvement." With another laugh he asked, "Do you want to explain why there are heads next to bodies that don't match?"

"I was carrying them around the campsite and throwing them at the ones that were alive." 

Cradling me closer, he said, "I like it."

"Yeah?"

Pulling back just enough that he could look down at me, he smiled. "Yeah. It's a hell of a distraction with the added bonus of making everything smell like blood, so you don't stand out." I nodded, because that is why I'd done it, and he smiled again. "That's smart, not screwed up."

"Well, it's a little screwed up. I was running around with severed heads."

"And yet, you're still alive. They aren't."

"Jules is."

"Yeah, and I'm going to need you to let that go."

The job wasn't done yet. I tried to make a realistic appeal. "But I just took everything that's important to her, and I don't know if she saw my face before I shot her."

Touching his forehead to mine, he softly said, "It might be more useful if she leaves town and takes Tyler Lockwood with her."

"You don't want to have to kill him, because it'll make Elena mad."

He smiled. "Not just Elena."

"Yeah, I wouldn't be very happy with you either. He hasn't done anything wrong, and I have a promise to keep."

"I know." 

I leaned back to look up at him and searched his eyes for sincerity. He wouldn't kill Tyler, but he wanted him gone, and there was something else. "If we can't find her again, then you think you can use him to make her leave before she goes after me or Elena." 

"He's the one thing she'll want more than revenge." His eyes studied my face before he said, "Trust me to handle it and come home." I reluctantly nodded, and he touched his forehead to mine again in relief. After a few moments, he shook a shallow breath and said, "You smell like dog."

"Werewolf, the new fragrance by Eve. I was trying it out. You don't like it?"

"You need like 10 showers. It's awful." See, I knew friends were supposed to tell you things like that. I exhaled a laugh, and he smiled. Letting me go, he sighed and said, "We have a mess to clean. Stefan's got his whole do-gooder thing to do, so we should have some time, but not much. I'll start the fire. Make sure you get all the heads."

I was searching around in some shrubs about 5 minutes later, when I heard Damon hiss before he flashed in front of me. My hand automatically went to my machete, and he put his arm back to signal for me not to pull it out of its sheath, while he said, "What are you doing here?"

I didn't know who it was and took a side-step to have a look, but Damon side-stepped with me, so I couldn't, and I took the hint as I heard a man's voice say, "I got a call that I was needed . . . It looks like I wasn't."

"Nope. Already handled."

"By you?"

"Yep, isn't that right, Elena?"

"Uh, yeah. He was amazing, like a vampire ninja . . . You should've seen it."

I saw Damon take a deep breath. "What she means is she didn't need to call. I keep telling her not to underestimate me, but she never listens."

Rolling my eyes, I said, "That is true. I, Elena Gilbert, do not listen. It's one of my greatest weaknesses."

Damon swatted behind him to make me stop before saying, "I think it's a common Gilbert trait. Sooo, anyhow, we were just cleaning up the mess. Are you going to stick around and help? I think we're still missing a few heads."

The man was quiet for a few moments. I'm guessing he was surveying the scene, because with a certain amount of disgust, he finally said, "I think you can handle that on your own. I'll tell Elijah what you accomplished. He should be pleased."

After that, I'm guessing the guy left, and I turned away from Damon and went back to looking for the head. "You're not going to ask me what that was about?"

I glanced over my shoulder at Damon. "Would you tell me if I did?"

"He's Elijah's witch."

Making a face, I went back to searching in the brush. "Ugh, I hate witches."

"What have you got against witches?"

"They're bossy know-it-alls. Ooh, aren't I special, because I can commune with nature and get power from it. And have you seen the things they use in some of their spells? They're gross." Finally, I found what I was looking for and happily lifted the head by the hair. "Found it!" Proud of my accomplishment, I turned around to show him. 

"Your lack of self-awareness is astounding."

I spun the head in my direction to look at it. "Whatever. It's not like I'm going to use some part of it in a spell and then tell someone else to drink it. That is gross." 

I tossed it toward the pile of bodies that was starting to form, and Damon said, "So, vampire ninja?

"What? Is that not something Elena would say?"

He laughed. "No. We really need to work on your Elena impersonation. You're terrible at it."

Bending down to get under the arms of a headless corpse, so I could drag it into the pile, I said, "I said hello to the people who said hi to Elena when they saw me in town today. I think I sold it . . . It helped that I could hide my eyes behind my sunglasses."

"Sunglasses? Elena doesn't wear those, and tell me you did not go around town looking like that."

Dropping the body, I looked down at my clothes. "Well, obviously I wasn't covered in blood." Touching my head, I added, "Or wearing a balaclava." 

Walking up to me, he pulled on my jacket and said, "I meant this," before he tugged on my black long-sleeved t-shirt, and added, "This." He did the same with my holster and sheath before kicking my boots and finishing with, "And these."

"Oh." I looked down at myself again. "But they're my standard issue werewolf hunting clothes, and I wanted to pack light." 

Turning away from me, he brought his hands to the top his head and said, "You cannot be this clueless."

"Would now be a bad time to tell you that I stole Tyler Lockwood's Mom's car out of their driveway."

He broke down laughing and crouched down. When I walked around to look at him, he was shading his face with his hand, but I could still see his shoulders kind of shaking in laughter. I took a knee in front of him, and he finally looked at me. "How much are you messing with me right now?"

I twitched my nose, and then smiled. "I hid the weapons somewhere in town for safe keeping, while I walked around. I couldn't very well go into the sheriff's office wearing those . . . but I did wear everything else, and Tyler's Mom's car is about a mile past the utility road that leads here."

He smiled briefly and sighed out another soft laugh. "Did anyone see you take it?"

"No. I figured if I got caught, I'd just say I was Elena doing a high school prank."

"Getting arrested and blaming it on your twin . . . I really shouldn't say I like it, but I do." 

My eyes brightened. "Yeah?"

"Yeah . . . Don't worry about the car. I'll deal with it." He hesitated and then said, "I think if you and I had known each other when I was alive, I would've gotten into so much more trouble."

"Did you get you into a lot of trouble?"

"Some warranted. Some not." 

And he got punished for either. I didn't say that though. Teasingly, I whispered, "You think I would've been a bad influence."

He bit his bottom lip before his eyes widened playfully. "I think that I would've gotten caught cleaning up your messes all the time. With the scale of your disasters you need me to be a vampire."

I thought about it for a few moments, what it would've been like to be alive when he was my age. "I don't think I would have 'fit in' back then."

"You would've fit -in with me." Standing he added, "Let's finish this, and then we can figure out how to get you home without ruining my car by stinking it up like dog."


	32. You Don't Owe Me Anything

There was a knock at my bedroom door, and I froze, a little unsure about what I should do. Damon didn't knock. He just walked right on in here without any warning. Rose used to knock, but she was dead. If Stefan found out I was here then I was screwed. If it was Elena, I was even more screwed. I was pretty sure Elena didn't stay the night last night, but Stefan did, and she could've come over this morning. Whoever it was knocked again and whispered, "Hello?"

I immediately breathed a sigh of relief and got off my bed, but stopped when I got to the door. What if Caroline finally cracked and Elena or Stefan were standing there with her. I silently chastised myself for having made any noise at all and heard her whisper, "Eve, please . . . I know you're in there." After another 10 seconds she whispered, "I'm alone."

I quickly pulled the door open and went to grab her arm to pull her inside before she was seen, but she flinched away from me. I pulled my hand back and hesitated before opening my door wider and standing back to let her through of her own accord. When she was safely in my room, I went to my mini-fridge and pulled a bag of blood out before tilting it in her direction. It is one of the quintessential things to always have on hand if there's a high probability that you'll be playing hostess to vampires. She gave me a quick smile before taking it with a, "Thanks," and sat on the edge of my bed before looking around and saying, "Are you redecorating?"

"Uh . . . I burnt my comforter and haven't had a chance to get out of here and get a new one yet." I'd spent most of last night showering before Stefan got home and then sleeping like the dead.

"I could go with you if you want . . . we could get a few more things to add more color and . . . " Trailing off at the end, she looked down and said, "I'm sure you have it the way you want. You don't need me - "

"I'd like that. The truth is, I'm not very good at that kind of thing . . . but no frills or glitter. I like dark colors . . . and I love the desk and dark green curtains, so if you can stick with the briefing and help me find things that would go with them, then - "

"Really?" 

She looked so hopeful. How could I say no? "Yeah."

Looking a little more confident, she popped the cap on the bag and took a sip before saying, "You're better at it than you think. I mean, you had the right idea with the lighter shade of green for the bed to brighten it up a bit, but I think we can do better."

"You're the expert, so I'll take your word for it."

Looking at my oversized burnt-orange sweater and black leggings, she added, "And we have got to do something about your clothes."

I pulled my knees up onto the bed and tucked them under my sweater, while saying, "But I like to be comfortable, and it's not like I have anywhere to go, so - "

"Well, we're going shopping, and you can't go if you're dressed like that."

Touching the black headband in my hair, I asked, "Right now?"

"Yes, right now." 

She stood up to go to my cupboard, so she could find something suitable, and I went into the bathroom to have a look in the mirror. "Does it really look that bad?"

She stopped going through my things long enough to take a good look at me. "Honestly?" I nodded, and she said, "No . . . if you had the right boots, it'd look pretty cute, but it's not what Elena would wear, and I talked to Damon. He told me what you were wearing around town yesterday, so I said I'd help."

"So, this was all a ploy to get me to dress more like her."

"Isn't that the point? Don't you want to look like her?"

"I was thinking more like I'd just be me until the day I need to be her, and then I'll wear my Elena outfit."

Frowning in concentration, Caroline said, "Well, how about this? For every Elena outfit we find, we get something just for you."

It seemed fair, but, "How much money do you think I have?"

"Whatever your parents put in your bank account every week. Damon said it was more than enough, because you are tight with money and never let yourself have any fun."

"It sounds more like work than fun."

"Not with me, I promise." Sighing she came up to me and put her hand on my shoulder before saying, "Please just let me do this. I need to thank you somehow, and - "

"For what?"

She paused and then a look of concern followed by one of understanding crossed her face. "You have no idea how - "

"Scary I can be? I do. I'm not going to hurt you, so you don't have to make anything up to me. I was - "

"Would you just shut up and let me say this?" Her face lit up with a smile before she said, "What you did was amazing, and nobody but me and Damon know . . . Stefan brought Bonnie and Elena around last night for a girls' night, and it's exactly what I needed, but the whole time, I felt guilty because you weren't there, and you should've been."

"You would've spent the whole night yelling at me."

She laughed and said, "Probably, but that doesn't mean I wouldn't have wanted you there." Looking a little upset, she added, "And I really didn't like that I couldn't tell them what you did, because I had to pretend like I didn't know how I was saved. It's not fair that they don't know about you . . . You should get to have girls' nights and go shopping and have friends that aren't just Damon."

Rubbing my thumb across my forehead, while I ducked my head, I said, "Caroline, you know I'm not going to be around for much longer, so - "

"And that's another thing! Why are you so willing to just lay down and die? The girl I saw last night was anything but weak."

"You think dying to save others is weak?"

"I think the way you're going about it is. You're not even trying." 

Sitting at my desk, she looked away from me with a pout, and I said, "It's not that I want to die." That got her attention, and then I stared at the lighting fixture hanging over my bed. "I've been living with this for as long as I can remember, and I still have moments of doubt every day, but if I can't talk myself out of doing the right thing, then don't feel bad if you can't. I mostly try to be content with the moments I have, not the ones I won't."

"You could always turn."

"Yeah . . . Damon and my Mom have both said the same thing, but I'm not so sure that'd be a good idea."

"I wouldn't have thought I'd be a very good vampire, but I think I'm getting the hang of it."

"Yeah, but you were probably sugar and spice and everything nice before you turned. I think we both know I'm not."

"I'm sure Stefan would help you."

"Stefan doesn't know me, and I'm not important to Elena the way you are."

"He'd do it just because he's nice, but even if he wasn't, you are her sister."

"Do you think she'd like me?"

"I think you should find out for yourself." I shot Caroline a look, and she rolled her eyes before saying, "I don't know. Eventually?" I smiled, and she giggled before getting up and going back to my cupboard. "Let's get you dressed, so we can get out of here. Elena and Stefan are going to her cabin, so we should be free to go anywhere in town."


	33. A Bit of Normalcy

I set another place at the table and said, "What do you mean, my Dad is back in town?" Damon didn't answer, so I glanced at him and immediately knew he was hiding something. "He's been here for a while, hasn't he?" Damon shrugged a shoulder, but still wouldn't look at me. "You had something to do with him being back."

Smiling, while he rearranged the knife, spoon, and fork, I'd put at another plate, he then said, "I like how you do that . . . Keeps me from having to admit to anything." His eyes flicked in my direction, and I was still waiting for a real answer of some kind. Rolling his eyes, he then said, "Stefan was trying to get ahold of Isobel. He got John instead."

"Hmm . . . I hear Stefan, but I'm waiting for the Damon part of it."

Moving onto the next place setting I'd done, so he could fix that one, Damon said, "I gave him Isobel's number."

"How - "

"I figured it was the number on your phone under 'Mom."

"When - "

"Eve, we live together. There are so many minutes in a day when I have the opportunity to get into your things."

"Oh." 

His gaze came back to me again. "Oh? I tell you I rummaged through your stuff, and that's all you have to say about it?"

Biting the inside of my cheek, I polished the knife I was holding a little more, and said, "Well, it's not as if your things have remained untouched." 

"You haven't gone through my stuff. I would know."

Smirking, I said, "Would you though?" I glanced at him. "Think about it and get back to me." I moved to the next place setting and said, "If you gave him Mom's number, why is Dad here?"

"Because John's the one that answered."

I stopped working and looked at him. "Mom's phone?"

Still trying to work out what I'd done with his things, Damon absentmindedly said, "Yep."

"Then something's wrong." That seemed to get his attention. "Mom and Dad don't live together. They haven't my entire life. His family saw to that, because they were both so young, but he refused not to be apart of raising me. That's why he's in my life. They can barely tolerate one another now, especially after she turned. There is no way that he would have her phone if something wasn't wrong."

Doing a bad job of hiding concern, Damon tried to wave it off. "I'm sure it's fine. I told you she had pets the last time she was here. Maybe she decided to go on a bender and dropped her phone off with him just in case you needed her."

"My Mom doesn't go on benders. Have you seen the amount of research she managed to compile? You don't do that, even after you turn, by going off on a vampire bender weekend, week, month . . . whatever. She is dedicated. I'm telling you that something is wrong."

Stepping around the table, Damon put his hands on my shoulders in a calming gesture, while he said, "You have enough to be worried about with everything you know is happening. There is no point in adding this to it when you don't know for sure that anything is wrong." I gave him a less than reassuring nod, and he said, "Look, the reason I brought it up is because your Dad is going to be here tonight. You can ask him about it then."

Well, that was one way to take my mind off of it. I hadn't seen my Dad since he was in the hospital. He'd told me not to come back until I was on the right side of this again, i.e. no vampires, and what did I do? I moved in with two of them that night. Smirking, Damon patted my shoulders and said, "See. That is what you should be thinking about instead." Turning to fix the cutlery on the plate I'd just finished, he added, "Especially since I told him where he could find you when he blew into town, and he hasn't stopped by yet."

Oh, this was going to be bad. Instead of saying that, I watched what Damon was doing and snarked, "Why are you even having me help you do this if you're just going to go around and fix everything when I'm done." 

He turned to pat me lightly on the cheek with a smirk, while condescendingly answering, "Because I think it's cute that you keep trying and failing."

"Nobody's ever shown me. You didn't even show me. You just started fixing it."

Going back to what he was doing he said, "But fixing your mistakes is what I do. Remember?" I rolled my eyes and watched the way he wanted the napkin folded, while trying to do the same with mine, and a minute later he said, "Besides, I like this." Pointing at me and them himself he said, "You . . . me, doing something normal. It's kind of nice."

"I don't know that there's anything normal about preparing for a dinner party with an Original."

"Where we kill him . . . and I was talking about this." His hand pointed around the table before he added, "Setting a table, having a dinner party . . . normal."

"We're killing him? Since when are we - "

"You're missing the point, Eve."

I wasn't, but I'd play along for a minute or two. "Maybe this is normal for you Mr. High Society, but not me."

"Then what's your kind of normal."

"Pizza out of a box in front of the TV."

He looked at me. "You can't tell me that Isobel never had a normal dinner at a normal dinner table." He paused as a thought struck him, and then said, "She did when she wasn't wrapped up in her books, but she stopped entirely after she turned, didn't she?" He wasn't wrong. I shrugged, and he asked, "Can you cook?"

"Frozen or - "

He cut me off. "Microwave dinners don't count, and you know it."

"How about food out of a can?"

Ignoring that, he said, "Well, lucky for you I can cook, so you're helping tonight."

"I thought we were catering the food in tonight."

"We were, but you are in some serious need of normalcy ASAP, and I am going to provide it for you."

"So, I'm taking lessons on normality from a vampire now?"

"Yeah." His eyes watched my face closely. He was being serious. I could tell he really wanted me to take him up on it, so I nodded, and he smiled before going back to working on his current plate setting and saying, "Your Dad gave me a dagger that's supposed to be able to kill an Original if it's dipped in the ash of a white oak tree . . . Can I trust him?"

Without any hesitation, I said, "No."

"Yeah, that's what I thought . . . and Katherine told me not to kill Elijah, or she'd stay compelled in the tombs forever . . . Do you believe that?"

"Not one bit. Compulsion wears off on humans after a vampire dies. I don't see why it'd be any different if an Original died . . . She just knows you well enough to know that if she tells you to do something, you'll do the opposite."

"So, if she wants me to kill Elijah, because it'll let her go free, then there's a chance it will work."

"Sure, but . . . There's always a catch with my Dad when vampires are involved, and he really doesn't seem to like you."

"So, you think it'll backfire."

"Yep."

"Even if you're here?"

"You mean the guy who used me as bait would actually consider my safety?"

"Ah, but see it's the fact that he needs you to sacrifice yourself for Elena, that makes me wonder . . . So, I take it that you're still mad at him." I glanced at Damon, and gave him a slight nod. "Good, because Elena hates him, so if you're going to be her, then you need to play the part."

"Wait, you want me to trick my Dad too? No way will that work. He knows me too well."

Resting his elbows on the table casually, Damon said, "Look at it this way. If you can fool him, then you can fool anyone."

No, there was more to this than that. "Why do I feel like you're setting this up, so you can use it to your advantage in some way?"

"Because I am."

I joined him in putting my elbows on the table and asked, "Do I want to know what you're planning?" 

"I don't think you do." 

A moment of regret flitted across his face, but it was gone almost as soon as I saw it. He was sure that whatever it was would hurt me. "You don't want whatever it is to work."

"I do . . . and I don't, because I'm not sure that it's going to be enough, and if it's not, then it's not worth it."

I never would've expected him to say that, or at least not mean it when he did. Watching him wrestle with his conscience was a little disconcerting. There were only so many things that could hurt me, and I wasn't particularly worried about Elijah being one of them. Damon would know that, and it wasn't Elijah we'd been talking about anyway. "You think my Dad will hurt me . . . like if I see him treat me different as Elena than I'm used to as me, you think - "

Leaning over to connect our foreheads, he said, "See . . . It keeps me from having to admit anything."

So, his big plan was to have my Dad make me feel bad, and then I would be less inclined to go through with my Dad's plan for the sacrifice. "It won't work." Before he could say anything, I added, "And apology accepted."

"I don't apologize."

"Oh you so do my blue-eyed angel of death. . . just without words. Need to know how to read the signs." Continuing to mock him, I said, "You know, you're awfully touchy-feely for a vampire."

He mocked me right back. "Well, I am a people pleaser, and I've never met someone that screams, 'I need affection,' more than you do."

I tried not to laugh, while saying, "You are so full of it," and moved away from him. "So, here's how this is going to go. I'm not going to trick my Dad, and you are going to hand that dagger over to me. Elijah won't suspect Elena of trying to double cross him. From what you've said, she's as adamant about seeing this through to the end as I am."

"No. No way. If he's faster than me, then he's definitely faster than you, and you are not going to - "

Putting my cutlery at the last table setting the way he'd done on the others, I said, "You forget that I know my Dad. It's non-negotiable."

"Did you know your Dad had this dagger?"

"No, but that doesn't mean that he and my Mom didn't find it after I left."

"And if it doesn't work?"

"Well, like you said, Katherine seems to want you to use it, so . . . " My gaze flicked to his, and he nodded. She'd at least heard of the dagger in her 500 years. My parents had just gotten to it first somehow. Smiling, I added, "Now, this feels normal . . . you and me . . . setting a dinner table, while plotting." 

"More like arguing. I'm still not giving you the dagger. You're free to try and take it from me if - "

"Challenge accepted."

He grinned. "I'll get it back if you take it."

"And that is what will prevent tonight from being too boring and keep us both alert . . . musical chairs with the dagger, and the last one with it - "

With a smirk, Damon finished for me. "Gets to shove it in his heart."


	34. The Dinner Party

My Dad got there first, and to say he didn't look happy to see me would be an understatement. "What are you doing here, Eve?" See. I was wearing the contacts, but he still knew it was me.

I looked around the foyer, like why do you think I'm here? Throwing him a dazzling smile, while curtseying, I said, "Welcome to my home. I'll be your hostess this evening. I could show you my room after everyone else is gone, and - " 

Pushing past me, he muttered, "I won't be staying," and I smiled.

As he rounded the corner to make his way into the living room, Damon said, "Why are you so happy? He's being a dick."

"He wanted to see me, or he wouldn't have gotten here first, and he wouldn't have let you know he was coming. He would've shown up unexpectedly just to get a rise out of you." Looking from the direction my Dad had gone to Damon, I said, "See . . . He loves me."

Damon rolled his eyes. "The lengths you will go to convince yourself that's true boggle the mind." 

I shrugged. "He knew it was me without me having to say a word."

"That's because your hair is - never mind."

I had it up. There were strands framing my face and a loose braid on either side that met the rest of my hair in a ponytail. Some shorter ends were sticking up at the ponytail, but I thought it looked messy and yet elegant. Touching my head, I asked, "What's wrong with it?"

"It's just more sexy rock chick than Elena." 

Oh. My shoulders dropped as I went to remove the ponytail, but he stopped me. "Leave it. We don't have time for you to do anything with it now."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

I'd had it that way for at least half an hour. "It's not a big deal." I gave him an uncertain look, and he said, "Have I told you how lovely you look?"

I looked down at my dress. It was entirely black, and there were all kinds of practical reasons for it to be black. For instance, it'd help me hide in the shadows, and if I got blood on it, I wouldn't have to worry about not getting the stains out. It was easy to move in if I really needed to move. It had long bell sleeves that would hide the dagger when I went to use it, and it flowed out at the waist and went down to mid-thigh. I thought it hid the thigh strap I was wearing pretty well, so when I got the dagger off of Damon, I'd be able to keep it on me without anyone knowing it was there. "What's wrong with how I look?" 

"Nothing. I'm amazed you have any fashion sense at all. Take the compliment."

"It was one of my 'Eve' finds that Caroline approved, and you don't do compliments." Looking at my feet, I said, "Should I change the boots, or - "

Putting his hands on my shoulders to make me look at him, he tried to give me a pep talk. "It's not what Elena would wear, but Elijah doesn't know her well enough to know that, and I think that from head to toe, you look stunning." 

Making a face and shrugging his hands off, I muttered, "Stop it."

"All right . . . how's this?" Biting his bottom lip, while he appraised me, his eyes landed on my chest before he said, "Elena would fill that out more. Are you sure you two are identical twins?"

I laughed, and he shook his head. "God, you're strange." I opened my mouth to respond, but the doorbell rang, so I went to open the door and he pushed me out of the way to get there first. At my glare, he winked while mouthing, "Game on," and pulled the door open to reveal . . . oh shit. What was she doing here? 

Elena's Aunt Jenna looked just as surprised to see me as I was to see her. How was I going to keep her from mentioning tonight to Elena? I barely registered the man standing next to her. Jenna snapped to her senses first and turned to him, while making her introductions. "Elena, this is Elijah. Elijah, this is my niece, Elena." 

He took my hand and planted a gentlemanly kiss on it before saying, "A pleasure to make your acquaintance, Elena. Jenna's told me so much about you."

As he released my hand she quickly said, "I would've told him you were going to be here if I'd known."

Elijah added, "Yes, Jenna was telling me that you were away at your cabin for the weekend."

Giving him a charming smile, I said, "Stefan got called out of town unexpectedly, and someone needs to be here to keep you adults in line." 

His eyes automatically went to Damon. Taking Jenna's hand, he directed her into the house ahead of him and said, "Jenna, why don't you have Elena show you around? I'd like to have a word with Damon before I join you."

Taking Jenna's arm familiarly, like it wasn't the first time I'd met her, I led her into the foyer, so we could go to the living room. Before we went around the corner, I cast a look over my shoulder at Damon. He nodded for me to go ahead. He'd be fine. "John. Why are you here?" My Dad turned from the fireplace at the sound of Jenna's voice, and his look expressed about as much dislike for Jenna as hers did for him. Hm. 

Pointing to the glass in my Dad's hand, I said, "Well, I see you already have a drink, John." I ignored his eyes narrowing at me calling him John instead of Dad and turned to look at Jenna. "Would you - "

Exhaling in relief she was quick to say, "I thought you'd never ask."

"There's some wine in the kitchen."

"Perfect. Show me?" I lead her out of the room saying, "Yeah, of course," and was glad to have some time to calm my nerves away from the vampires and my Dad. I still wasn't sure what to do about her being here.

The next 20 minutes of my time were taken up by talking with her in the kitchen. It was an excellent way for me to get more information about Elijah than what I'd been able to get from Damon. For example, Elijah was apparently interested in the historical society, which was how they'd met. He was particularly interested in property owners prior to the founding of the town. It made me curious. I understood why he'd made contact with Jenna. He was doing something I'd done by infiltrating the circle surrounding Elena and Stefan. I'd gone for Stefan's brother. He'd gone for Elena's aunt, but why the interest in the town's history. It seemed like it was more than just an 'in' with someone close to Elena. 

He'd spent all morning walking around with her, while they looked at maps and property lines. He was after something . . . and I think she may have been smitten. From the sounds of it, she hadn't dated a nice guy in . . . possibly forever? It was hard to know. It'd required me pretending like I knew what she was talking about, because apparently Elena did, so I couldn't exactly ask Jenna any questions, not that it seemed to matter. Her sad, sordid past seemed to become the topic of conversation, the more she drank, and I lost my foothold on finding anything more useful about Elijah than I already had. That may be why I was all too glad to have Damon swoop in and shoo her into the other room, because apparently we were going to be serving.

Opening the oven and leaning into me, he asked, "Did you get anything useful?"

"Yeah." Looking back towards the other room and unsure of just how good an original vampire's hearing was, I whispered, "He's looking for something . . . He's particularly interested in the land holdings of freed slaves that settled here before the Founding Families got here."

Damon's brow furrowed in thought. "The Bennetts were the only ones when I was here, but supposedly they came from a long line that connected back to Salem."

"Salem witches?"

He glanced over my head towards the door and said, "Yeah . . . What would he want with land that they owned?"

"I don't know, but I could try to find out."

His eyes flitted down to mine. "Are you up for it?"

"A chance to get information on my own for a change? Yeah, I'm up for it."

Quickly shoving his hand in my face, while he turned away from me, he said, "Just don't be you," before bending down to start getting the things we'd made earlier out of the oven.

Dinner itself was actually very entertaining. Elijah sat next to Jenna. Damon sat at the head of the table, and I sat to his left next to my Dad. Dad didn't have a whole lot to say. He was taking things in the way I was. Jenna brought up the witch thing for us, so I didn't have to do it. Apparently all the 'witches' from Salem were rounded up and burned in a neighboring town. I guess that's why Emily's family was the only one left when Damon's family was here. My Dad said it was starting to sound like a ghost story, and while Damon blatantly asked Elijah why he wanted to know where that place was, I looked at my Dad. He knew something.

He caught me watching him, and I knew he knew what I was thinking, but he always was cool under pressure. Taking a sip of his wine, he sat back and looked at Jenna before making some comment or other that seemed to annoy her. I wasn't really paying attention to it. I was more concerned with his body language, and his body language was way too calm. That's how I knew he was he was hiding something. I knew that man inside and out. 

Without taking my eyes off of him, I said, "Okay, what is it with you two? Why all the animosity?"

And I knew too late the trap he'd set for me. "I told you Elena, we slept together."

Yuck. Nobody wants to think of their Dad like that. I may or may not have been able control making a face. Well played, Dad. He'd snarked at her just to get me to ask that, and now he was planning to use it to distract me. If Damon ever wondered why I was so good at reading people and situations to make connections other people wouldn't necessarily see, it was because of my parents. When you grow up with two parents that have secrets and agendas, you have to get good at connecting the unseen dots, or you'd never find out anything that was important. 

Glancing at Jenna, who looked mortified, I said, "Don't take it personally. You are sweet and kind and smart, hard working . . . I mean, you are raising your sister's kids and still going to school, and let's not forget how beautiful you are. Plus, you come from a good family, and you are innocence personified. The truth is, you are marriage material, and he is as calculating as they come. After his mistake with Isobel, he had to make it up to his family somehow, so he chose the perfect woman to put their mind at ease . . . Take it as a compliment, but a word of advice?" Looking at Dad, I smirked before saying, "Someone wise once told me to let people think they're using you, but don't actually let them use you."

My Dad broke character and rolled his eyes at me quoting my Mom, and then I looked at Elijah and said, "Which brings me to you . . . Don't use her. If you want it to be business and nothing more, then tell her. Don't toy with her emotions on top of that. She'd help you anyway."

Sitting back in my seat, while I looked at my mostly finished plate, I didn't bother looking at Damon. I was sure he thought I'd blown it. Maybe I had, but somebody needed to get this thing rolling, and why did it always get to be him. Glancing at my Dad, I said whimsically, "Ah, Uncle-Dad's . . . can't live with 'em . . . well, because they don't actually live with you, and you can't kill them . . . wear special rings and the like." He sat back and covered his mouth to cough, partially out of discomfort and partially to hide a laugh at his discomfort. I got him good. I did learn how to unsettle people from him, so he only had himself to blame. Looking around the table, I stood and said, "Well, I think my work here is done." I so wasn't cleaning this mess up. I had a game to win.

Going to my piano room, I waited. It was a risk, but one I thought may pay off. Call it gut instinct. Call it the experience of watching masters around me sew seeds of intrigue and then provide an opportunity to reel their prey in and have it work. Call it what you will, but I wasn't all that surprised to hear, "Forgive me, Elena. I don't mean to intrude," maybe 10 minutes later.

I continued playing _Brick_ from Ben Folds Five without looking at him and said, "It's not an intrusion. You can come in if you'd like."

Moving into my line of vision, he said, "I didn't know that you played the piano."

"Not many people do. Not even Jenna does. We had to get rid of my piano long before my parents . . . before the accident. Do you play?"

I glanced at him, and he smiled. "As a matter of fact, I do . . . May I?"

I stopped playing and moved over to make room for him on my bench. His fingers trailed the keys, before he chose what he wanted to play. I recognized it immediately "Tiny Dancer?"

"Expecting something a little older?" I smiled, and he said, "You get better tips if you go contemporary."

"You play for tips?"

"Sometimes when the mood strikes, and I'm feeling the need to be more human."

I nodded understandingly while I watched his fingers glide over the keys. When I was playing the piano, it's the most human I felt too. Glancing at him, I said, "Do you mind if I ask you something?"

"I assure you, I have no intention of toying with your Aunt Jenna."

That was good to know. The poor woman had enough issues. She didn't need to add another man messing with her to what I presumed was a long enough list. "Thanks for that, but what I wanted to ask was, in 1000 years, what were the moments that have stood out to you? Inventions that excited you when you heard about them, times when you were pleasantly surprised by humans or privately horrified by the things we can do . . . what's made an impact on you?"

"I've met kings and queens, poets and musicians . . . but it's the everyday moments that stand out. Moments, like the first time I heard a particular song, or had a chat with a person that made me think of something I've never thought, the sight of a friend, my family."

He got to the end of the song, and I tentatively put my hands forward to see if I could play a song now. He smiled and said, "Please do," so I started playing _Ruby Tuesday_ and said, "And in your time, you've known great loss."

"I have."

"And love?"

He smiled again briefly. "Yes."

"Are those the reasons why you seem so sad?"

"My Dear, Sweet, Elena, I can assure you that I am not sad."

"Maybe it was the wrong descriptor . . . lost . . . lonely. You put a good face on it . . . try to put forward your monster side to intimidate people, the way you did at dinner when you were talking about the site where the witches were burned. It's like you want us to think you take pride in knowing more than us, because you want us to believe you think you're superior, but something tells me that's an act. You have the look of someone that has been alive for a very long time and who is now lonely." 

Before he could respond, I looked to the corner and said, "Someone I knew died recently. I didn't know her long, so she wouldn't have been covered under our deal . . . She got bitten by a werewolf, and she wasn't doing very well. She was laying right over there, and I played for her to help calm her down . . . She was alive for 500 years, and before she got bitten, she had the same look you do. It's because she lost her friend. You're actually the one who killed him . . . It was Rose. Anyway, she said losing Trevor was like wandering around in the dark, but not caring to look for a way out, because the light that helped her see was gone and couldn't be replaced . . . It took the fight right out of her until she got bitten, and I could see the change. She wanted to live . . . 500 years, and she wasn't as done as she thought. You've had twice that long, and I doubt that it's enough . . . but you are alone, and that makes it seem unbearable."

"What are you asking?"

"Where is your brother, Elijah? If you knew, I doubt you'd have that look, so you're here on your own . . . and you don't want him to know. Why is that?"

I didn't really expect an answer, and I didn't get much of one, but it was enough. "He's taken something from me that cannot be replaced."

Nodding in understanding, while I focused on the keys, I said, "Mmm . . . the same reason Rose stayed with us to help. She had nowhere else to go and nothing else to do but to try and seek justice for Trevor somehow." 

"You're wise beyond your years."

"I don't know that I'd call it wise. I think most people would call it an annoying ability to see truths people would rather not admit and the lack of common sense not to expose them."

I glanced at him over my shoulder, and he chuckled, "Well, there is something I've found to be true in all my years of living." 

"What's that?"

"The Petrova dopplegangers have all been enchanting. You are the 3rd, or should I say 4th one that I have met."

Now, maybe that should concern me, but he seemed amused more than angry, and maybe I could use this to my advantage. Bonnie and Jeremy had found out that he had every intention of making sure the sacrifice went ahead, and if I played this right, he could be my ticket to getting on his brother's guest list for the sacrifice. Arching an eyebrow, while I focused on playing, I said, "Took you long enough."

"What was your generation? My brother and I have been searching for a very long time, but I suppose some may have fallen through the cracks."

Reaching under the bench to find the stake I had taped there, I used the tip to pierce my finger, and raised my finger for him to see. Sure vampires bled, but vervain-laced ham sandwich or not, a vampire knew human blood when confronted with it. "How is this possible?"

I looked at him. "I suppose this will go down as one of those everyday situations where someone has made you think something you've never thought. I'm Elena's twin."

Still looking at my finger in awe, he shook his head. "I assure you that is not possible."

"And yet here I sit."

"There can't be two of you at once."

"Clearly there are . . . but my sister doesn't know I exist, so - "

Finally letting my hand go, he said, "I have no intention of killing you." That one confused me, so he elaborated. "My deal with her should include you even if she does not know you exist."

"About your deal with her. Maybe I could take it on instead." I heard it almost too late, lunged forward to cover his back, and took the dagger that'd been thrown in my shoulder. I grunted at the pain and threw Damon a glare. Elijah turned to support me, so I didn't fall off the bench, and in doing so, found the dagger sticking out of me. Pulling his hand away, he saw the blood that was covering it and looked at Damon standing by the door. There was monstrous anger written all over Elijah's face, and I barely had time to register that this was going to be bad. 

In less than a heartbeat, he'd left me to attack Damon, so I pulled the knife out of my shoulder, and immediately felt the bleeding increase. Ignoring it, I forced myself to stumble off the bench. I didn't have the strength in my good arm to throw it thanks to my injury, and I didn't think I'd be fast enough to make it the few steps I needed, but Elijah took the time to tell Damon he'd warned him about what he'd do if he was double-crossed tonight, and it gave me time to get behind him and use both hands to plunge the dagger into his heart through his back. His arms dropped, and then his legs buckled as he went gray. I swayed a little, looked at Damon, and giggled, "I win," before my legs gave way, and then I was falling, but my head didn't hit the ground.

Cradling my upper body, Damon yelled, "It's not bad enough one of you already has an idiotic deal with him? You have to go and make one too! Let me guess. You're the better option, because with you, he doesn't have to protect anyone else . . . in fact, why stay here at all? Why not have him take you with him until - "

Cutting him off, I patted him lightly on the cheek and looked at Elijah's body before whispering, "It doesn't matter now." He was livid, and I didn't want him to be . . . at least not with me. Some kinds of pain I could shrug off, but the pain in my shoulder wasn't one of them. I'd damn near fainted, which was already mortifying in and of itself, but him being mad at me again was more than I wanted to deal with at the moment. 

My Dad, standing by the door, decided to butt-in for reasons only known to him at that exact moment. "You're right. It doesn't matter now. You could've made this a whole lot easier on everyone if you - " 

Damon's head snapped in my Dad's direction, "You can get the hell out of my house, John!"

Dad turned away from him and said, "Fine. Eve, come on. I'll drive you to the hospital." 

"She's not going anywhere with you."

"Well, she's not staying here with you, and she's my daughter, so you have no say in this."

"And you think you do? You lost that right when you abandoned your children on other peoples' doorsteps, but before you did it to this one you turned her into Joan of fucking Arc . . . Why the hell would you do that? Why would you train her when all you want her to do is die?"

"So she didn't have to rely on anyone else." Looking at me, Dad added, "I wouldn't have wasted my time on her if I'd known this was how she'd turn out."

It was a look of disdain, disapproval, disgust . . . take your pick, and it nearly broke me, so I had to look away from him, which may be why I missed the cues that would've let me know Damon was going to drop me to go after him. By the time my head hit the ground, and I turned it to look at them, he'd already snapped my Dad's neck. Kicking Dad's hand on the floor, Damon said, "He's still got his ring. Must've given Jeremy his brother's," before stepping over my Dad's body and walking out of the room. I don't know where he went. I guess I should've been concerned that he'd go and get the rest of his anger out by killing Jenna, but mostly I was glad for the reprieve. My Dad hadn't meant it. Spending father-daughter time together hadn't been a waste of time. Raising me hadn't been a waste of time. It hadn't. I knew it hadn't. He loved me. I knew he did, and that's exactly what I planned on telling him when he came back.

I wanted him to know that I didn't hold it against him, because I knew that he was concerned about me, and he was willing to say and do anything to get me to stop being friends with Damon even if it meant pushing Damon's buttons in order to get Damon to kill him in front of me. He never wanted me to become a vampire. He and my mother disagreed on that, but that meant that when we got to spend time together, he made it quality time, because he knew there was a good chance it was limited time. It wasn't all vampires and hunting them. There were a lot of bedtime stories and game nights and movie marathons. There was teaching me to how to swim and skate and how to hold a bat. If he was really as cold and heartless as he pretended to be sometimes, he wouldn't have done any of those things. 

"Hey." I went from waiting for my Dad's fingers to twitch to looking at the doorway. "Do you hate me?" I looked at Damon leaning against the doorjamb and shook my head. "Plotting your revenge?" 

I shook my head again, and he reluctantly stepped back over my Dad, as he came into the room. When he got a little closer, I said, "I think he pushed you into it, so you'd do what you did, and he could prove to me what a monster you are." 

Crouching down behind me, so he could help me sit up, Damon said, "So, he didn't really mean it, and it's not really my fault?" I nodded, and he sighed. "The mental gymnastics you must've gone through to come to a conclusion where neither one of us is the bad guy . . . I don't know if it's impressive or sad."

He handed me a glass, and I asked, "Why would it be sad?"

"Because you have so few people in your life, you can't afford to lose one even if it's deserved."

"Deserved?"

"Eve, he may be a monumental dick, but he's still your Dad, and I killed him."

But my Dad would be fine. I could see his ring from here. "Uh oh, is it morality police time?"

"Right now it's time for you to drink that."

It may look like a soda of some kind, but I knew his blood had to be in it. "I don't want it."

"Eve, you're bleeding all over my rug, and I'm going to need your help carrying Elijah downstairs. Drink it."

Making a face, I grumbled, "But it's so gross, and I was thinking of a way that we could use this to get around Jenna saying anything to Elena about seeing her here. What if - "

"I already took care of that."

"Did you kill her?"

"No . . . drink that, and then I'll tell you."

"But my idea is good. She's on vervain, so it involves going to the hospital and you compelling a doctor to tell her that she can't bring up the entire night to Elena or anyone who might say something to Elena, because Elijah attacking Elena before he jumped out a window never to be seen again was way too traumatic for her, and she just won't remember it."

Sitting with his legs to either side of me, Damon pulled me back to his chest to keep me from falling over, and said, "I should've brought you this sooner. The blood loss is making you loopy. Drink." Rolling his eyes when I still wouldn't do it, he forced out, "Please." 

He was trying the nice approach first. I actually did appreciate it even if I said, "If I don't, you're just going to drown me with it, aren't you?"

"Pretty much." I took a sip, and he put his finger under the bottom of the glass to tip it up, so I'd have to keep drinking until he thought it was enough. When he took the glass from me and set it on the ground behind him, he said, "I mean it's the least I could do. You did save my ass twice in about 10 seconds tonight." I leaned my head back onto his chest to look up at him, and he said, "When were you planning on telling me that if the dagger is used on an Original by another vampire, it'll kill both of them, but the one who does the killing stays dead?" I just kind of blinked at him in response, and he added, "Stefan called. It was in one of Jonathan Gilbert's journals."

"You only asked if I knew my Dad had it. I didn't, but he used to tell me a story when I was a kid about magical daggers that the little princess used to slay the original vampires. Many monsters had tried over the years, but their hearts weren't pure, so they died. I didn't think it was real, and I wasn't sure this was one of those daggers, but I didn't want to take any chances."

"You lied to me . . . again."

"I didn't lie. I just didn't tell you the whole truth."

"So, there's more than one dagger."

I glanced at Elijah's body. "I don't know how many there are. I just know that has to - "

"Stay where it is, or he'll come back again?" I nodded, and he said, "Yeah, Stefan told me that too. Where do you think the one for Klaus is?"

"There isn't one for him. He's different than his siblings."

"How?" I didn't immediately answer, and Damon said, "Eve, I need you to start telling me these things."

Sighing, I responded, "I don't know why he's different, but I know he is, and whatever that difference is makes him even stronger than them."

"Any idea why Elijah was looking for where those witches were massacred?"

"No." Looking at my Dad's body, I added, "But I'm pretty sure my Dad does."

Changing the subject off of my Dad, Damon said, "I told Jenna who you really are."

"You what?!"

"It occurred to me that if I continue to keep you a secret, then I'm letting you think that I'm keeping you in my back pocket as a last resort if there is no other way to save Elena."

"Aren't you?"

"No, I just like having you all to myself."

I rolled my eyes and looked away from him. "Rose said you wanted to show me off."

"I do . . . to the right people."

"The ones who realize what an achievement it is that you've been able to find someone who can tolerate you."

I felt his chest heave in a silent laugh before he said, "No, it's almost impossible to find people who would put up with you long enough to see it as an achievement." I coughed out a laugh and looked up at him before he grinned. "Some day my little tiger's claws might be less of an embarrassment." His smile slowly fell, and he added, "Until then she needs a family that she deserves, and the one she's had is nowhere near good enough, but there's more of it out there than what she's had."

"Jenna's not my family." She was my uncle's wife's sister.

"Maybe not by blood, but she's the closest thing you've got to having something suitable, and she can keep a secret. She didn't tell Elena she was adopted . . . Elena doesn't want her to know about any of this, but I'm leaving it up to you to give her a good enough reason why she shouldn't tell Elena."

I looked up at him again. "You'll help me convince her I'm not crazy."

"I made my move. I'll play this any way you want."

"So, if I say we lock her up downstairs until the vervain leaves her system, so you can compel her to forget what you told her? "

"Let me rephrase. I'll play this any way you want as long as we don't do that."


	35. So, This Is Awkward

I helped Damon drag Elijah's body downstairs, and then reluctantly walked to my bedroom. Damon had told Jenna to wait for me in there. I passed by the piano room and saw my Dad was gone. It looked like I'd have to wait to tell him what I'd wanted to tell him when he came back. When I got to my room, my hand hovered over the door handle. I still hadn't decided how I wanted to approach this. I could just say that I was Elena's long lost sister and was waiting to tell her when the time was right. It'd keep her from knowing about the supernatural beings that seemed drawn to this town, and as I told Caroline, knowing about them made people unsafe, but at the same time, she was at the center of all of the supernatural beings because of her proximity to Elena, and that meant she had to know, didn't it? 

I heard Damon clear his throat and looked down the hall. He tilted his head in the direction of the door, like he wanted me to just get in there already, but I still wasn't sure I could do this. Outside of my parents, the only other people that'd ever known about me were vampires, and even my Mom was a vampire now. My Dad hunted them. Jenna was the first human civilian to know. Looking frustrated, Damon walked towards me, like he was a man on a mission and opened the door for me before ushering me inside.

Jenna jumped and turned to look at me. I noticed what she was holding and threw a glare at Damon. Why'd he leave her in here alone to go exploring anywhere she wanted. Stepping forward, I rather rudely grabbed the stake out of her hands and put it back in the cabinet that she'd opened before closing the door and standing with my back against it. I glanced at Damon, and he tilted his head at her, like he wanted me to say something, so I sighed and said, "Hi Jenna . . . I'm Eve." Rolling my eyes, I added, "Not Elena." With another exaggerated sigh, I said, "Isobel kept me, and she and my Dad had joint custody of raising me . . . You found my stash, so I guess I should say that I'm a vampire hunter, the way my Dad trained me to be, and he's one too, which is the real reason why nothing could have ever worked out between the two of you . . . Oh, and Damon's a vampire. So, is Stefan . . . So is Caroline after the car accident. Bonnie's an honest to god witch, and Tyler Lockwood is a werewolf. Did I leave anything out?"

I glanced at Damon to see if I'd done okay, and he had his hand covering his eyes, like he couldn't stand to watch the total train wreck in front of him. He was still standing in front of the door, so she wouldn't be able to get out of here without going past him. I grabbed my spray bottle off the table and sprayed it at him. He started sizzling and hissed in pain when the water hit his skin, and Jenna screamed. I aimed the bottle at her, and she screamed again before I spritzed her in the face with it. She was physically shaken and jumped when it made contact, but she eventually put her hands down when she realized it wasn't acid . . . just water that hadn't hurt her the way it'd hurt Damon. She looked from me to him, and he was not happy. Throwing a semi-apologetic look his way, I said, "Sorry. I panicked."

He growled in frustration and then huffed out a sigh before taking a couple of steps towards my bed and grabbing a stake out from under my pillow. Holding up his hand so she could see, he said, "I could show you my fangs, but - " Cutting himself off with a shake of his head, he slammed the stake right through his hand, and Jenna screamed again.

She backed into me, so I grabbed a hold of her and held on tight, while whispering, "Watch this."

He pulled the stake out, and lifted his hand again, so she could see it quickly heal, and she started to relax in my hold, so I let her go. "You're a - " She couldn't say it and looked at the bottle on my desk. "What is that?"

"Vervain. It's toxic to vampires. I'm pretty sure Elena's been slipping it into something you use every day to protect you. It keeps vampires from being able to compel you."

"Compel?" 

In total shock, she stepped away from me and sat on the foot of my bed before resting her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands. I looked at Damon, and he pointed at her, like I should do something. Sitting next to her, but still a good bit away, so that I didn't scare her more than I already had, I said, "It's like mind control . . . well, it is mind control. They can make you do anything they want . . . like stab yourself with a knife."

She turned her head to look at me in horror. "That's what . . . are you telling me that that's why I - " 

"A vampire named Katherine made you do it."

"But I don't remember - "

"You wouldn't if you were compelled."

She went back to burying her face in her hands and took a shaky breath. "And you're saying that Elena knows that's what happened?"

Oops. I looked at Damon, and he sighed before going to kneel in front of her. "She wanted to protect you."

Looking at him, she yelled, "By not telling me?!"

"It's safer if you don't know."

"I stabbed myself!"

"I know, but -"

"Does Jeremy know?"

Damon looked at me, and that's all the answer she needed. "Great, so they're both lying to me." Looking at Damon, she said, "You know, I'm supposed to be the adult. I'm the one that's supposed to protect them, not the other way around. How can I do that if - "

"That's why she didn't tell you. She doesn't want you getting mixed up in all of this."

"Well, whether I know about it or not, I am!"

I quickly said, "She has a point," and Damon responded, "Not helping, Eve."

I shrugged. "But it's true. If she'd known, then she wouldn't have let Katherine in the house, and Katherine wouldn't have been able to get to her."

"What do you mean?"

Damon said, "A vampire can't get into your house unless you invite them into it."

"Did she compel me to forget that too?"

I shook my head, and Damon said, "It was the night John was attacked in your kitchen. She did that."

Jenna seemed confused. "I didn't let any strangers in that night."

Sharing a look with Damon, I said, "Katherine is identical to Elena, like more identical than her identical twin, so you thought it was - "

"Oh my God! That's who you were kissing." 

She looked disgusted with him, so I stepped in again. "He didn't know it was Katherine. He thought it was Elena."

"And that makes it any better?"

"Well, yeah, I mean, it's not like he was plotting with her to get her into your house. He hates Katherine more than anyone."

She didn't look like she was ready to let that go, but she also must've had a million questions going through her head, and the next one came out next. "And tonight? What was tonight about?"

Damon and I both said, "Elijah."

"Why would - " Her eyes widened, and she exclaimed, "Is he?"

Damon and I nodded, and she stuck her face in her hands again before muttering, "I invited him in too. What am I going to do?"

I glanced at Damon, and he said, "We already took care of it . . . just stop letting people into your house. If they're human, they won't have to stop at the door until you say the magic words."

Throwing Damon a look over her hands, she asked, "How did you get in?"

"I got myself invited in before Elena knew what I was."

She rolled her eyes and muttered, "Well, at least I'm not the only idiot . . . How long has she known?"

"Since close to the start of the school year."

Hiding her face again, she shook her head with an exhausted laugh. "The school year is about to finish." She groaned. "All this time . . . Why are you telling me now?"

I said, "I panicked," at the same time Damon said, "For Eve," and Jenna looked at him. Explaining, he said, "Look, I don't know if you've noticed, but John's a bit of a dick, and her Mom is just as bad . . . but Eve's a great girl if you give her a chance, and she needs someone that isn't a vampire or her parents. She needs family, but she's not ready to let Elena know about her yet."

"You want me to keep this from Jeremy and Elena?"

She asked him, but I answered with one of my biggest lies to date. "I do. All I'm asking for is a couple of months. I'm finishing the school year where I am, and then my Dad and I are moving here towards the end of summer, or that's the plan. That's why he's been coming back here so much lately, but you know how my Dad can be, and I don't want Elena to know until I'm sure we're making the stay permanent." She opened her mouth to argue that, and I quickly added, "Even if we aren't moving here, I know I need to let her know about me, but I need to do it in my own time . . . especially since I'm duty bound to kill her boyfriend with me being a vampire hunter and all. I don't think that'd make a good first impression, so I'd like the time to see if he's really one of the good ones, and if he is, I won't have to kill him."

"It's your decision on when you want to tell her, but don't wait too long. The longer lies build up the harder they are to forgive. I mean, right now, I am questioning everything Elena's said to me for the last however many months . . . When she said she was staying here was she really here, or was she somewhere else? Did she get hurt and not tell me? Everything Jeremy's said and done . . . I can't believe anything they say now."

"Well, you could always ask . . . verify. I mean, Damon and I could be the ones lying."

Sitting back, Jenna shook her head. "That's the hardest part. I could ask, but something tells me all I'd get are more lies, and I don't think I can handle anymore."

"You can't just walk away from the discussion now that you know."

"Can't I? Isn't that what they've done every time they had a chance to tell me and didn't?"

I tried again. "But you're supposed to be the adult."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm barely older than them, and I'm not their parents. I have no real authority." She looked from me to Damon, I guess because she thought they were closer in age, and said, "Back me up here. I know you know what I'm talking about."

I didn't expect him to laugh, but he did. "I actually do. Try being stuck with a brother that's permanently in that, 'I'm 17 and know more than you,' stage for 150 years."

Reaching forward to poke him in the forehead, she said, "My God, you look good for your age," and I think that's when I realized she was maybe still drunk from dinner. He grinned and looked at me. 

I muttered, "I'm a little surprised you believe us this easily. Drunk or not, his stake through the hand parlor trick wouldn't convince the purest of skeptics."

Seeming a little out of it, while she stared off to the side, she said, "I think it was being stabbed . . . I just never understood how I could be so clumsy. I felt like an idiot, and I didn't even remember doing it . . . Something just wasn't right." Looking at Damon she asked, "Have I been compelled to do anything else?"

"Not by me or my brother, but I think Katherine had you spying on Elena."

Covering her mouth with her hand, she whispered, "Oh my God . . . for how long?"

"A couple of days . . . until she showed her hand by having you stab yourself to prove that she could get to people Elena cares about."

"Why? Why is she so obsessed with Elena?"

Before he could say anything about them being dopplegangers, because I did not want her to know about the sacrifice, I said, "Because she doesn't like that Elena is with Stefan. She disappeared for 150 years and wants him back now that he's found someone else."

I glanced at Damon. Katherine choosing Stefan was still a sore spot for him. Instead of taking it hard, he rolled with it. "She wanted them to break up. They faked like they had, but you told her they hadn't, and she had you stab yourself, so they did."

"But now they're back together."

"Katherine left for a little while, so I think they thought it was safe." Looking at Damon, I added, "But I'd expect her back again sometime soon." If Elijah was technically dead as long as that dagger was in his heart, then his compulsion most likely wore off. 

As if on cue, there was a knock on my door, and Damon bit his bottom lip before saying, "If that's her, I'm gonna kill her."

Jenna realized pretty fast that the woman at my door wasn't Elena given how Damon treated her after he opened the door, and the way Katherine responded. Katherine did a good job of both offending and scaring the hell out of Jenna after that, but Jenna was tough. She didn't let her fear hold her back from letting Katherine know exactly what she thought of her. Katherine showing up also sort of had the unintended side-effect of proving what Damon and I had said, something that Katherine was all too happy to point out. I'm guessing she'd been listening at the door for a while. 

I didn't know if after she left Jenna would go home and talk to Elena and Jeremy about everything or if she was going to ignore it and wait for them to tell her the truth. I sort of suspected that she'd do the second, like she'd bring up vampires in a movie or people disappearing around town the next time it came up on the news, knowing the truth and secretly resenting whatever lie Elena told her, but that was for Jenna to decide. I'd said my piece and at least she could maybe be a little safer going forward. 

As for me? I don't think Jenna would tell Elena about me. I don't think I really even registered on her radar. She'd been more focused on Damon and Katherine. Finding out that vampires are real sort of blows the secret that Elena had a sister out of the water. Maybe that's why I'd done it . . . well, that and she'd found my stash, so I had to explain it somehow. I hadn't really expected tonight to go the way it had. I felt a little bad that Damon's gesture of trying to do something nice for me by introducing me to Jenna hadn't really worked the way he'd wanted, but I think with Katherine being there, he'd already been forgotten about it by the time he made sure Jenna got out of the boarding house and away from Katherine safely.


	36. We're Even

Caroline called me when she was at school the next morning, and woke me up to tell me that Tyler left town with Jules, and really, that should be cause for celebration, but instead, I had to watch Damon and Katherine bicker across the threshold of my room most of the day. I felt like throwing one of these musty old journals at them. I waited for the feeling to pass, but it never did. Chucking the book at Damon's head, I hoped it'd bounce off him and hit Katherine, so I could get two with one shot. I was more than a little annoyed when he ducked, and it didn't hit either one of them. Grabbing another journal from the stack, I said, "You two are annoying, and you're sexual tension is nauseating. Get out of my room and take it somewhere else."

Damon threw me a look over his shoulder before smirking at her. "Trust me. There's nothing sexual about it. It is pure hatred." Glancing back at me when he heard me pull the stake out from under my pillow, he almost whined, "But this is the only room in the house where she can't go."

"And yet you leave the door open and keep antagonizing her." Katherine smiled, like she thought I was excusing her of all blame until I said, "And you're not any better . . . Let some of that over-inflated sense of self go and realize that losing one of your many admirers doesn't make you any less of a woman. Trying so hard to seduce him back under your thrall really makes you look desperate. It's pathetic, and I expect more from you."

I half expected her to throw her shoe at me hard enough to take my head off, but instead she glared and walked away from my door. Slamming it shut behind her, Damon laughed before jumping beside me onto the bed and messing up the stack of pillows I had propped up behind me. "And that, is what I have been waiting for you to do all day."

Fixing the pillows before turning back to the book in my hands, I muttered, "What, chase her away with my words?"

He reached over me to grab a journal out of the box and said, "Yep."

"Sure, if you want me to believe you've been hiding behind me all day and waiting for me to pounce, I'll go with that, but don't kid yourself, Damon, you love the attention she's giving you right now . . . and the second you stop expecting the other shoe to drop, she'll use it to kick you right in the teeth."

Opening his book and relaxing back, he murmured, "Don't be mad at me."

My brow furrowed before I looked from my book to him. "Aren't you the one who should be mad at me?" He'd been passing up all kinds of Katherine-related triggers lately.

Continuing to read the journal, he shook his head. "Now that I know my little tiger is really just a big ball of fluff, it takes some of the sting out of her bites."

I huffed while going back to my book and muttered, "I'm not a big ball of fluff. You're a big ball of fluff. I should call you Fluffy . . . see how you get on at the next vampire convention when they hear that's your nickname." 

His eyes gleamed as they flicked in my direction. "You know we don't have conventions, right?"

I responded drily. "That you know about. It's one of the downsides to being a lone-wolf vampire. You don't get invited . . . They actually have it on the doors in blood, 'No rebels without a cause admitted."

"And here I thought I had a cause."

Well, if he was the one bringing it up, he shouldn't be surprised if I went there. "Your one-man mission to rescue Katherine from a tomb she wasn't in? Imaginary causes don't count as actual causes." 

That could've gone horribly wrong. It didn't. He leaned into me saying, "But you think I'll be invited to the next one."

"Well, now you can join the 'Kill Klaus' table. It's the biggest one there."

He tried not to smile before looking at his book. "And you know about these conventions because . . . "

"Oh, it's some of the best hunting around . . . Wait until dinner is over, go straight for the table nearest the door, take a few heads, and pop back out before they've finished serving desert." 

I felt him shake slightly, like he was holding in a laugh before he said, "I don't know. I think you're making it all up."

"I guess we'll find out come the Winter Solstice."

I felt him shake again. "The Winter Solstice, huh?"

"Yeah, most witches are busy during solstices, so the vampire convention doesn't have to worry about those buzz kills showing up and ruining their fun. Plus, it has the added benefit of being the longest night of the year."

Unable to keep the humor out of his voice, he said, "Great. I think I'm free . . . So, should I be expecting my invitation in the mail?"

"Private courier . . . just be on the look out for anything on your doorstep that says, Care of Fluffy." 

At that, he finally laughed. A second later he asked, "How do you do it?" When I looked at him he said, "How do you make me feel human?"

"I didn't know I did."

"Sometimes I get these flashes." He blinked a couple of times, while he stared at his book and tried to think of how to explain it. After a pause he said, "And I don't mean that I feel like a human. That's different. I feel like who I used to be." Giving me a side-glance, he added, "That guy would've thought you were funny. I shouldn't."

I felt the corner of my mouth tug up into a smile before I said, "But you are him . . . just enhanced."

"He died. I am something else."

"Something else, not someone else. Is a butterfly no longer the same creature that started as a caterpillar?"

Getting a wry look on his face, Damon said, "You think I'm a butterfly?"

"Maybe you're more like a mosquito." He exhaled a soft laugh before sinking back with his book and resting his head on my shoulder. A few minutes passed, and he said, "I'm not going to let her get to me this time."

"She already is."

"I've got it under control."

"Well, if you find that you don't, let me know, and I'll stab you again . . . help reboot your computing system before you do something stupid."

Focusing on his journal, he let a small smile play across his lips as he muttered, "So violent," and that's all that was said about it. We spent the rest of the afternoon looking for where the witches might have been killed. Why the place was important to Elijah, we didn't know, but my Dad had disappeared, and we had to find out somehow. When Stefan came home that evening, Damon got up with a book that showed promise and bolted out of my room before Stefan made it to the front door. I figured that would be it for the night, but got a text about 5 minutes later. Apparently, Stefan found out why Elijah wanted to find that spot of land. He was planning to have his witches harness the power from the death of all those witches and use it to kill Klaus.

I read the text a few times and really struggled with myself to tap down any kind of hope. If Elijah was sure that would kill his brother, then it had to work, but at the same time, how much faith was I supposed to put in that when I knew what the future was supposed to be. Yes, it could be changed. No future was set in stone, but the likelihood of changing it wasn't great . . . Still. If there was a way to kill Klaus, then I'd throw my all into it until it became apparent that we'd run out of options. I just wouldn't get my hopes up and would approach it the way I always had, with something approaching a fatalist attitude.

I heard some yelling a little while later and went to my door, tempted to see what was happening. Katherine never yelled, and it was loud enough for me to hear with my human ears. Was this my moment? Was I going to have to reveal myself now? Was it Klaus? Was it something else? 

Before I knew it, I was halfway down my hall when I heard the front door slam closed. I froze. Pulling out my phone, I texted Damon. _Everything okay?_ And immediately got back, _Downstairs_. I ran the rest of the way, didn't see them near the blood fridge and kept going. When I got to the room where we'd put Elijah, I felt a little let down. Stepping between Katherine and Damon, I looked around the room the way they were and finally said, "What am I missing?"

"Witches."

I looked around, still didn't see anything and said, "Invisible witches?"

Katherine finally answered me. "Yes and no . . . It was their psychic energy. They're not really here."

"And Stefan?"

"Went to go deal with them in person."

Looking at Katherine's stomach where there seemed to be a lot of blood, I said, "Then you go get some blood. Make it to go, and the two of you go help him. I'll stay here with Elijah." They shared a skeptical look over my head, and I rolled my eyes. "I think I can babysit a corpse." Looking at the flame thrower in Damon's hands, I added, "I'm guessing that made them stop . . . but they're going to be a lot more powerful in person, and Stefan's going after them alone." 

Katherine tilted her head in the direction of the door to indicate they should go, and Damon reluctantly handed the flame thrower over. "Keep an eye on the dagger. They were trying to remove it. I'll let you know when I'm sure they won't come back." Looking at Elijah's body, I nodded, and they left. As soon as I heard the front door close, I got to work on trying to figure out how this flame thrower worked. Looking back at the tank, I turned the knob and then turned it back when I realized it'd probably already been on. Examining the contraption in my hands, I pulled the trigger and jumped back when a flame briefly shot out. Okay. Guess I was ready. I found myself looking around the room at nothing the way they had, but eventually my eyes landed on Elijah. 

"Hey Elijah . . . Sorry you're in time out right now. I couldn't let you kill the only friend I've ever had." I watched and waited a while longer before saying, "Things must be pretty bad with Klaus if you're planning on killing him . . . Something tells me you won't . . . No matter how mad you are at him or who he's taken from you, he's all you've got . . . I know there are supposed to be more of you than just the two. Rose made it seem like the only thing that can't be replaced is a person, so I'm guessing Klaus is the reason there only seem to be two of you now, and that's why you feel like you want to kill him. For you to win, people will die. I suppose it's always the little people who get caught in the crossfire when two gods go to war in mythology . . . my Mom had me studying that last year for school, or was it the year before that? My schooling tends to go all year to give me something to do. I only get graded during the normal school year though . . . she hasn't been able to grade anything of mine in a while. I'm kind of on my own with it right now . . . I always mark myself rather harshly though. If something is wrong, it's wrong, and there's no point in learning the wrong thing, or you wind up sounding like an idiot. I wonder how you were educated. How much did you learn when you were young and how much was learned over time. Were you always so debonair, or did that come with time too?"

I stayed in there babysitting Elijah for what felt like at least a couple of hours even after I got a text from Damon telling me that Luka was dead and Jonas was going after Elena. Damon had really upped his involving me in what was happening out there lately, and I wondered why. He'd said it's what he would do the night of the werewolf massacre, so was that why, or was there an ulterior motive for it? Did he want to keep me in the loop to prevent me from going into hiding and finding out the information myself? If that's what he'd really thought I'd done the day I disappeared, then that was a possibility, but then after what I almost did when I met Elijah, I would've thought he'd back to withholding information from me again. It's what he did when I angered him by doing something he thought was dangerous. 

Did he just have more faith in my abilities after the massacre, or was it that I'd taken a dagger for him and then killed my best chance at completing my mission to protect him? Did he feel he owed me information for all of that, or did my actions mistakenly make him think I wasn't as sure of my plan as I previously had been? Was he paying me back with information for essentially choosing him over what my Dad had wanted, and why did I do that? The truth was, I was as determined as ever to die in Elena's place, but at the same time, I just couldn't let my Dad or Elijah kill the only friend I'd ever had, and protecting Damon was something I intended to do right up until the moment I no longer could. I knew it was stupid of me, and it'd never been my plan, but somewhere along the way we had become friends. Was that the real reason he was finally filling me in on what was happening? He wasn't using the seconds he had during a crisis to involve me for no reason. Was there some master plan, or was I reading too much into it? I felt like I needed to know, like the success and failure of my mission depended on it.

While I worked out my conundrum, I kept Elijah company. I didn't tell him any of the things I was thinking, because I didn't know how conscious he really was of what was going on around him. He was dead, but then he was able to come back if the dagger was removed, so how dead was he really? I used the silence to ponder what Damon was planning if he was planning anything at all, and I filled the stretches of silence by talking about what I'd been learning in homeschool and various other things in my life. That's what I was doing when I heard footsteps approach the cellar. Looking at the doorway, I saw Katherine appear and relaxed. At least it wasn't Stefan.

"Well, that's morbid."

I was lying on my back next to Elijah, so I could talk to him better. "Is it really so different from people who go to grave sites to visit people who have died?"

"Yes, My Dear Niece, lying next to a corpse is infinitely more morbid than that. You really need to get out more." I looked at Elijah and then sat up before she added, "Your sister is an ingrate."

"What did she do now?"

"I risked my life pretending to be her tonight, and she couldn't even bring herself to thank me for it."

"Why did you do it?"

"It was a good plan, and it worked. Jonas is dead, and Elena lives."

Arching an eyebrow, I said, "And you were hoping that putting your life in a small amount of danger would make the others trust you enough to fill you in on what they're doing."

While leaning against the doorframe, she shrugged a shoulder. "I need to get something in return, don't I?" I laughed, and she said, "I wouldn't expect her to be any more appreciative when it's your turn to save her."

Getting to my feet, I muttered, "Well, lucky for me, I probably won't be here to care."

Cleaning under her fingernails, Katherine said, "Still haven't decided if you want to turn?"

"Nope."

"You realize you're playing a game with multiple opponents that do not want to see you win, right?"

"That's what makes it fun. It's just a shame that the prize is so terrible."

She exhaled a laugh before looking at me. "Well, if you win, I hope you make the right choice. I would miss this . . . now that we're square of course."

Rolling my eyes with a small smile as I went to pass her, I said, "Yeah, we're even."

She turned to follow me out of the basement. "Would that the Original family was so easy to appease."

"You could've settled down with a nice vampire, had friends, been happy . . . it really is tragic."

"That it is . . . Things seem to be working out better for you than they were. 17 years, and you already have more than I've been able to have."

I looked over my shoulder at her. "You think?"

"I know . . . but we're just starting to get along again, so I won't tell you why."

"What is it that you really want, Aunt Kat?"

"Ah, my Dear Niece, you're never going to trust me, are you?"

"I wouldn't say never. I might if Klaus was dead, you had Stefan, and if you were generally queen of the world without anything to stand in the way of you getting whatever you want."

A whimsical look crossed her face before she smiled. "That would be lovely."

"Thank you by the way." Her eyes flicked in my direction, and I added, "No matter your true motives, you did take on a certain amount of risk tonight, and if nobody else is going to say it, thanks . . . but I don't know where the witches died."

Throwing an arm around my shoulders, she grinned, "It really was beginning to hurt my feelings, so I'll take it . . . And if you knew where the witches died, you'd tell me. I'll have more fun finding out from Damon anyway," and with a wink, she dropped her arm and raced up the stairs ahead of me. 

I breathed out a silent laugh and shook my head. "Typical." Raising my voice, I added, "This is why I do not think of you when you're not around . . . Neither love nor hate . . . You're just boring Aunt Kat. Show up, say some nonsense, and then disappear."


	37. A Day to Never Forget

I had no idea how I got here. I think I may have woken up to Caroline ringing me in a panic about Matt finding out she was a vampire. I probably gave her advice that she most likely wouldn't follow, something like, 'If he's scared of you, leave him messages telling him to meet you in a public place. Don't tell him everyone else's secrets when you do talk to him. Tell him you got turned after the accident, so you couldn't have been the one who killed Vicki, but you were in a coma, so you don't know who did it. Tell him Vicki was a vampire and maybe a vampire hunter killed her. Well, if he doesn't accept you the way you are now, then it's not real love, and blah, blah, blah.' And after that there were just a series of events that lead me to where I was standing, but they all sort of jumbled together and faded into the background, forever shelved under unimportant and therefore forgotten.

I wanted those moments back. There was nothing special about them, and while they were happening, they were still leading to this moment. Nothing in them could have helped me change the outcome. I wanted them back, because they were the last moments I'd ever have of knowing in no uncertain terms that my Mom was alive out there . . . somewhere. Didn't matter where, just somewhere. 

I rested my forehead on the wall around the corner from the living room and shut my eyes to steady myself before taking a silent breath and forcing myself to look. I must've heard something through my spy equipment that brought me here, but it was a glimpse of Elena toying with my Mom's necklace that made me believe it was real. Mom never went anywhere without it. I found it really quite troubling to see it in my sister's hands and immediately shut my eyes before pulling back around the corner to hide once again. 

What right did Elena have to hold it? What right did she have to be there in my Mom's final moments? Did my Mom give it to her? Did Elena just pick it up and take it off her dead body? Had she been nice to my Mom in Mom's final moments, or had she been as hateful as I knew she could be? Had my Mom thought of me? Why hadn't she come to see me? If I'd known the last moment I was ever going to have with her was the moment I left to come here, I would've cherished it more, found something better to say than, 'I don't want to leave you,' although the sentiment wasn't far off of how I felt now. It's just that now, I wanted to tell her not to leave me.

I could've protected her. I should have. I knew something was wrong when Stefan got my Dad instead of my Mom. I should've gone looking for her. I should've done more than I did. 

"I never thought I'd feel bad about her being dead, and yet . . . "

"She was your mother."

As the words spoken in the other room floated to my ears, I left my forehead on the wall, but slid to the side enough that I could see into the room with one eye once again. She hadn't been Elena's mother. Elena'd had her own mother. Isobel had been my Mother, and I was going to be the only one who truly mourned her loss. 

The talk in the other room quickly turned to business as Elena wondered why she'd been let go by whoever'd had Mom take her, but I didn't listen to any of that. My focus was on the necklace dangling gruesomely around her hand as she forgot about it. I wanted that necklace. I deserved that necklace. It actually meant something to me. 

I felt something behind me and slid back into my hiding place before a hand gently landed on my shoulder. When I turned my head to look, I saw it was Damon. He had a stack of papers in one hand. It was obvious that it hadn't occurred to him until then to tell me, or maybe he had been planning to do it, but I'd found out before he could. Any looks of remorse he had were quickly shifted into one of concern . . . probably thought I'd disappear the way I had when Rose died. 

He looked from me to the doorway, like he was hesitant to leave me there alone, but he'd been on a mission, and he didn't have time to put it on hold for me just then. He didn't say that or even indicate it, but why else was he carrying a bundle of papers around with him? I tiredly tilted my head in the direction of the room to let him know he could do whatever it was he'd been planning to do, and he looked even less sure of leaving me. 

We were so close to Stefan and Elena that he couldn't say anything if he didn't want them to know I was there, but he did give me a look that let me know he wanted me to stay where I was until he could come back to talk to me. It cemented my opinion that he thought I was going to run off and do something crazy, but the difference between when Rose died and now was that half my world hadn't been stripped away from me when Rose died. It was going to take me a little while to be able to move from this spot let alone leave the house. I nodded, and he still seemed unsure, but gently patted me on the shoulder before stepping around me to go into the other room. 

Whatever he might've said if he hadn't known I was there, he didn't say now. Instead he was quiet, while he slapped the papers down in front of Elena, and then he let Stefan do all the talking. Apparently, they were giving Elena their house. I wondered what that meant for me? Would my tenancy agreement still stand, or was she now the one who controlled every room, including mine. I felt almost as put out by that as I did her having my Mom's necklace and getting my Mom's last moments, or maybe it's because of those two things that I was upset by this little revelation. 

This is the longest I'd ever lived in one place. I knew every squeaky floorboard. I had my piano room. My actual room looked amazing after Caroline helped me redecorate it. It's not like Elena couldn't walk into either room if she felt like it. She wasn't a vampire, but it was the thought of her having rightful ownership of both that upset me. I didn't care if Elena got the rest of the house, but those two rooms were mine. They should stay mine. 

I heard a man inhale sharply from the floor and found myself sliding back towards the doorway, so I could see who it was. I hadn't known anyone else was in there. Damon took off like a flash in the direction of the man, but I still couldn't see who it was if I didn't want to get so far around the corner that Elena and Stefan could see me. I relaxed when I heard my Dad's voice. Had he been killed again? 

Sliding back into my hiding place behind the wall, I listened. He was apologizing all over himself. It wasn't because he was afraid of Damon. Something had happened that he hadn't expected, and he truly felt bad about it. Elena told Damon to let him go, because they needed to talk, and I should've been concerned with trying to find somewhere better to hide if Stefan was going to leave to give them privacy, but my heart wasn't in it, and neither was my head, so I stayed were I was. I just wanted to hear my Dad's voice, and I wanted answers on what'd happened. 

There was some back and forth between Damon, Stefan, and Elena for a minute or so, and then someone walked out of the living room. Even though it felt like Damon, I didn't look, I just hugged the wall a little closer, hoping to make myself as small as possible. If it wasn't him, I didn't care. I was waiting for my Dad to talk. When I heard Elena assure Stefan she would be fine, I knew the person that'd already left the room was Damon, and that's around the same time that I was pushed into the nearest alcove, so he could stand in front of me and hide my presence.

I closed my eyes, like I thought it'd hide me when Stefan came out of the room, but I didn't have it in me to even be momentarily angry with myself for having been so careless. The brothers didn't say anything, but they must've shared a look, because Stefan lingered there a little longer than necessary if he was just going to go to his room and pretend not to listen to Elena talk to my Dad. The second he was gone, Damon turned around to take my hand, so he could pull me with him to my room, but I tore my hand away from him. It was an aggressive gesture on my part, so I understood why he looked mildly perturbed when he looked back at me. What I didn't understand was what made his look of frustration immediately evaporate at the sight of me. I wasn't mad. Maybe that was it. I was just desperate to stay there and hear my Dad's voice. 

Damon glanced towards the living room and relaxed before giving me a nod to let me know he understood what I wanted, so I turned away from him to go back to hugging the wall in my hiding spot near the entryway . . . family time in my family generally meant someone got left out of it. This time it was me. I fully intended on staying there alone, but apparently Damon had different ideas, because I felt him at my back a second later, like even giving me an inch seemed like a bad idea to him right now. I should've been annoyed by it, but in that moment, I was just focused on hearing what was said in the other room, and what was said broke my heart.

It was the words as much as the tone in my Dad's voice. It'd been a long time since my Dad had talked to me that earnestly and without an emotional disconnect. I knew why. Most parents would relish the time they got to spend with a child if they knew they were going to have to bury that child some day, but my Dad? The closer that time got, the more he had to protect himself from that inevitable loss by pushing me away, and sometimes he could be quite harsh about it, but he used to be so much more like this, so heartfelt in everything he said and did with me. 

When he told Elena he was there when she was born . . . when _we_ were born . . . I felt a tear slide down my cheek and let it fall. I already knew that he'd been there. I also knew that he'd held us, one in each arm, so that Mom could see us. It was the last time we were all together. Then my Uncle came in to take Elena, and my Dad handed me to Mom. She held onto me and cried, while she watched Elena be carried out the door. Once a forged death certificate for my Mom was written and signed, my Mom left, committed to finding a way to save both her daughters and raising one, all while being a teenager herself. 

And then I heard my Dad say, "And because she was the first girl I ever loved," and everything started to get blurry. He'd never told me that. I don't know why it hurt so much for me to hear it . . . Maybe because if he'd loved my Mom, then he could've lived with my Mom and I and hadn't solely because his family didn't approve . . . He had been young, and maybe it would've been a struggle, but how much different would things have been if he'd been able to live with us like a normal family?

When he said, "At this point, I will do whatever you want me to do. If you feel safer with me not around, then I'll go," I bowed my head, and tried to swallow. It was so clear in his voice what he wanted her to say, and the emotion behind it left me feeling like he was begging for her acceptance. It was so sad, and it made me so angry. Everything he'd done had been for her . . . even trying to kill Stefan. If she hadn't liked him before he did that, it was most likely because her parents' opinion of him had rubbed off on her, and why had their opinion of him been so low? Because he'd fathered us, and as much as they loved Elena, it automatically made my Dad the black sheep of their family. 

And what if she told him to go? He sounded like he expected her to do just that, but it was clear in his voice that if she did, he'd still love her. What about me? What about what I wanted? I knew my Dad loved me, but why did I have to work so hard to get his approval when here he was begging Elena for hers? Why did I have to work so hard to convince myself that he still loved me when it was as plain as day to anyone listening that he loved her. It was especially difficult given the circumstances. I'd lost my Mom. There was only one person left that loved me in this world, and he was it. 

Suddenly quite aware of the fact that I wanted to be left alone, I closed my eyes and reached behind me to lightly shove Damon away. Ignoring my gesture, he gently pushed my hand away from him, so he could turn me and wrap me up in his arms. It may not have been what I wanted, but I didn't exactly try to fight him off until I heard Elena say that Dad screwed up everything and that everything he touched fell apart, because it wasn't true. He did the best he could, and then in the next breath she said he was the only parent she had left, so maybe she could learn not to hate him. 

She'd had her parents, and they'd been good to her, but now she was moving in on my Dad, and he wasn't even a Dad she wanted, because she hated him. She was a snotty ungrateful brat that always had everything handed to her. Instead of feeling a kinship with her, because I too only had one parent left, I mostly wanted to go punch her in the face. Let's see how much everyone thought we looked alike when she had a broken nose. It was clear that Damon had some idea of what I was thinking, because when I tried to extract myself from his arms, he held onto me tighter and then just picked me up and ran me at vampire speed away from the room. 

When he put me down, I immediately tried to go back, but he grabbed ahold of me again. "Let me go!" I struggled in his arms, but he only held me tighter. No matter what I did, I couldn't get enough space to make any of my kicks or punches have any real impact, and the second I accepted I couldn't get out of his hold, I cried out, "I want my Mom," and broke down sobbing, while I clung to him. I don't know how long I was an incoherent mess, but eventually, I got enough breath in my lungs between whimpers to say, "I'm sorry . . . I shouldn't have hit you . . . I'm so sorry, Damon."

He slicked his hand down the back of my head the way he had already been doing to try and comfort me, but this time, he hushed me with a quiet, "Shhh," and then whispered, "I wasn't going to let you kill your sister," and it was enough of a surprise that he'd thought I'd take it that far that it broke through my wall of misery.

Sniffling, I mumbled, "I wasn't going to kill her . . . I was just going to break her nose," and he exhaled a soft laugh before smoothing his hand down my hair again.

"Close enough."

"How did it happen?"

"We think Isobel was compelled."

"By Klaus?"

"Yeah, we think she found him."

"Then he's the one I'm going to kill."

Tucking his head against mine, Damon said, "I'd rather you didn't and left it to us."

So he'd noticed that I'd been holding back on fully committing to the 'Kill Klaus' bandwagon. "Why?"

"Because I saw how far you were willing to go with Katherine, and all she did was put your Dad in the hospital." I didn't say anything, and he quietly said my name.

"Hm?"

"Promise me you won't go after Klaus. "

"I don't have a plan yet, but I don't think you're going to like how I play this at all."

"Eve - "

"Promise you won't hate me."

I felt him sigh. "I make no promises if you get yourself killed."

"Well, could you promise not to take it out on anyone else if I do?"

He gently ran his hand down the back of my head again before holding me a little more possessively and muttering, "If it means you won't reconsider, then absolutely not."


	38. Wagering with the Devil

The next morning, I waited until everyone was gone to make my first move. Slinking down the stairs, I slid into the room with all the blood bags, so I could grab a few before ducking out and making my way to the room further down the hall. Without stopping to give myself time to talk me out of this, I quickly entered the room, walked to my target, and pulled the dagger out before quickly jumping back to the doorway, but it turns out I needn't have been so hasty in my retreat. He didn't immediately wake up, which is what I'd been expecting. I was also expecting him to be angry and hungry when he woke up. I figured that was a dangerous combination, so I should at least deal with one of those using the blood bags to buy myself time to work on the other.

I waited for what felt like hours, and even though I was expecting it to be abrupt, I was still startled when he jolted onto his hands and knees with a gargantuan gasp, and then he continued gasping and wheezing, and before I knew it, he was running full force into walls, like a pinball, before he rushed past me out the door. Fuck. Well, that hadn't gone the way I'd expected it to go. Had I already lost him? 

Running up the stairs, so I could at least try to find a way to track my runaway Original, I stopped when I got to the entryway and saw him gasping for breath just outside the door. Cautiously making my approach, I stopped when I got to the threshold and examined it. To my eyes, there was nothing different about it today, but I must've missed the official signing over of the house to Elena. "And thus concludes our lesson on what happens when a vampire is trapped inside a house he hasn't been invited into yet . . . they look a lot like a fish out of water." 

He turned to look at me, less than amused, and I immediately thrust the blood bags in his direction. He politely took one before saying, "You broke our deal."

Raising my pointer finger, I countered, "Except I had no deal with you, and until 20 seconds before I stabbed you, you had no idea I existed."

"The deal I had in place with Elena - "

"was with Elena. Or did I miss the big sit down where everyone was consulted?"

"Don't mistake the fact that I haven't killed you yet for -"

"I knew you'd be grumpy. Just drink your blood like a good vampire and hear me out." Before I could make him too angry, I quickly added, "I have better manners than that. Let me re-phrase. I can't invite you into the house, because it appears they've signed it over to Elena, and I don't know if there are any clauses in the agreement that allow me to retain rental ownership over my room, but if there are, I could invite you into my room, so we can discuss this in a more civil manner. If I am no longer able to do that, or if you would just prefer not to appear too scandalous by sneaking in through my bedroom window, I could accompany you around town."

He tried to do the annoying thing he'd done at the dinner party and smirked. "What makes you think - "

"Cockiness doesn't suit you . . . Arrogance? Yes. Even though it tends to rub people the wrong way, I'm sure you can back it up in spades, so there'd be no questioning whether you were entitled to be arrogant instead of just confident, but cockiness? It creates the illusion that you feel less than confident and are overcompensating for it by appearing like a . . . "

I struggled to find a word, and he suggested, "Smug twat?" I nodded, and he smiled more genuinely. "That's what my sister would say . . . mostly when talking about Niklaus, but apparently, I have my moments too sometimes."

Leaning against the doorframe, I asked, "Why is that?"

"I don't make a habit of giving strangers personal details about myself."

One of my eyebrows rose as I said, "Unless you're about to kill them or compel them to forget what you've said when they walk away?"

He smiled again, a more charming smile, before saying, "Forgive me. That was my way of saying, I don't believe we've been properly introduced. I am Elijah, and you are?"

"Eve."

"Elena's twin sister."

"That is correct."

"That she doesn't know exists."

"Well, I can fault her for a lot of things, but outside of 5 people, the world doesn't know I exist, so she gets a free pass on that."

Continuing to play along, he said, "So that makes me the 6th?"

"It makes you the 5th. 2 of the 7 people who knew are now deceased."

"Rose, and?"

He had a good memory for details considering I hadn't spoken to him much before I killed him. "My Mother died yesterday."

For a moment he looked surprised, and then bowed his head before flicking his gaze in my direction and saying, "I am sorry to hear that, Eve."

"Well, I'm sorry to have to say it, Elijah." He gave me an uncertain nod, and I said, "So, do you want to be my guinea pig? I'd like to make sure that Stefan still can't get in my room."

Looking around at the house, he asked, "You live here?"

"I have for a few months now."

A little skeptically, he said, "And yet a vampire who also lives here doesn't know."

Rolling my eyes, I responded, "He's in high school and has a high school life that's entirely wrapped up in his girlfriend, so phantom girls living in the other wing of the house seem to have slipped right by him."

"Perhaps my faith in his ability to keep the doppleganger safe was misplaced."

"Or your belief in my ability to be sneaky isn't quite where it should be."

Looking away from me, he shook his head and said, "I do have you to thank for the knife in my back."

"I couldn't let you kill the only friend I've ever had."

He considered his words before saying them. "Is that also why you took the dagger for me?"

"Honestly?"

"That would be nice."

I smiled, and he relaxed before I said, "It was a reflex. There are times when you just don't have time to think things through, and that was one of them. I guess my instinct is to jump in front of flying daggers."

"Without a second thought to yourself."

"So it would appear." 

"Where is the dagger now?"

"Safe."

Pointing at my sweatshirt pocket, he said, "Isn't that it?"

Arching an eyebrow, I replied, "And I can think of nowhere safer."

"Who's being cocky now?"

"I'd call it confidence bordering on arrogance."

"So, you believe you can 'back it up in spades?'" After mocking me, he leaned forward to whisper conspiratorially, "You do realize that all I have to do is lay this house to waste to get you out of it and take the dagger from you."

"And as much as I would love to see something like that . . . I don't think it would bode well for our future relations, and you're going to need me, Elijah."

"I think I'd prefer to take my chances on the less troublesome sister."

"You and everyone else, but did you know that she didn't particularly like our mother, and I adored my Mom, so Elena's a little less motivated than I am to help you kill Klaus right now."

A look of understanding crossed his face before he stood upright. "Niklaus killed your mother."

"Yep . . . right after he made her help him obtain Katherine, so I'm thinking - "

"He's in town. That's why you woke me."

"Well, if all I wanted was some stimulating conversation, I could've left you dead . . . We had some lovely one-sided chats."

Watching me he replied, "I can assure you that alive, I offer much better conversation." Briefly smiling, he added, "You are a curiosity Eve."

"Not really . . . so about me accompanying you around town. I know I can be a bit of an embarrassment . . . Sometimes, I do bad things, and my plan is to tell people I'm Elena if I get caught, but I never get caught, so if the man who looks like he was born wearing a suit doesn't mind being seen with me looking like this - " I looked down at my fitted black-hooded sweatshirt, black jeans, and black converse, and added, "and knowing that I'm packing just about as many weapons into what I'm wearing as possible, then I wouldn't mind a stroll."

"What makes you so sure I won't kill you once you step outside that door?"

"You haven't killed me yet, and I'm sure there are plenty of sticks out there in the yard that you could throw in here to do it. It's not mercy and it's not gratitude or any other such sentimental nonsense." Narrowing my eyes, while I appraised him, I said, "And the thought that you might be able to use me for information hasn't even occurred to you yet . . . I'd like to think that you're thinking of using me instead of Elena, but I don't think you are, and I'm not keeping you from being bored, while you figure out what to do about Klaus. I honestly have no idea, but there is something telling me you won't, and my gut instinct is pretty solid."

Leaning on the doorjamb, while he crossed his arms over his chest, he dryly responded, "The same one that has you jumping in front of flying daggers."

My eyes scanned his face, trying to find some kind of tell to let me know what he was thinking, but he was an expert at keeping that hidden. "Yeah, that one. All things considered, it turned out pretty well. Nobody actually died."

"I believe I did."

"Yeah, by a textbook medical definition, I guess you were clinically dead, but by a textbook psychological definition, a guy who wants to drink other people's blood would be locked up in a psychiatric institution or jail if he was really determined about it, and we are so far outside the realm of that, I wouldn't really call you dead anymore than I'd say you were insane . . . It was more like you had to go in the sin bin for fighting than actually being dead." He didn't respond, so I quickly added, "Anyway, the point is that even if I had a an hour to think about it, I'd do everything I did in those 10 seconds again, because it was the right call to make."

"Eve?"

"Yes, Elijah?"

He smiled. "What part did you play in the werewolves that were killed outside of town?"

"Oh." Making a face, I asked, "Why do you want to know about that?" 

His grin widened. "You're the one that Jonas saw there that night . . . not Elena."

"Uh huh."

"And you were there because . . . "

"I killed them all . . . except for one. She got away when Stefan and Damon showed up, because I had to hide."

"You are in fact carrying as many weapons as you claim."

I looked down at my clothes again. "And?" 

"They are exceptionally well concealed."

"Well, I would hope so. Damon would be very upset if he got a call to come bail Elena out of jail for having unconcealed weapons."

"And you have the surprising ability to kill an entire werewolf pack on your own . . . Now, why is that?"

"I'm smart?"

He chuckled. "Oh, I don't doubt that for one moment . . . From what I gather, you've never been to school a day in your life, and yet you're well educated . . . Were you raised to be a vampire hunter, Eve?" I nodded, and he said, "And yet you live with two vampires, one of whom is the only friend you've ever had."

I shrugged a shoulder before admitting, "My Mom was turned two years ago, and it was an adjustment, but it didn't lessen how I felt about her. It tends to make me more sympathetic to vampires, I suppose. I mean outside of my Dad, the only people that know about me are Damon, Katherine, Caroline, and you . . . all vampires."

"If Katerina knows about you, and Niklaus has her, then - "

"I know. That's one of the reasons I wanted your help. I figured that it takes more than a super-charged witch to kill him, so that's why you needed the sacrifice to go ahead. I just can't figure out a way around him knowing about me if he does."

Elijah feigned disinterest. "Why you?" 

"It's one or both, and it has to be me, because that's the way it has to be to save the most lives."

"And how do you know that?"

I rolled my eyes "Witches. Before we were born, they told my parents, and my parents had 3 options on what to do about it. This is the one they chose."

"So, they kept you hidden all this time for this?" I nodded, and Elijah stood a little taller. "While I could use your skills in some capacity on the night, I'm afraid I can't use you for the sacrifice, Eve."

My shoulders dropped. "Why not?"

"I have my reasons." In frustration, I looked away from him. That wasn't an answer. It was the same kind of secretive nature I'd grown to expect from my parents. "But if you would like to join me in a stroll, I give you my word that I won't kill you."

"Really?" I glanced at him. "So were you just sussing out how humiliating it'd be if you were seen with a vampire hunter?"

"Believe it or not, I've worked with a few vampire hunters over the years . . . I'm not sure I would really call you one."

"You sound like Damon . . . Why not?"

"Shall we?" He offered my his arm, and I instantly took it. I had no reason to think he'd break his word. I just didn't feel like he was a threat to me. I closed the door behind me, and he said, "Vampire hunters are driven to do what they do because of their intense hatred of vampires. They are blinded by it, but your motivations are . . . different."

"How do you know what my motivations are?"

"Do you hate all vampires?"

"No."

"Well, then without me even knowing what your motivations are, I know they're different. I take it the same holds true for werewolves despite your record?"

I sighed. "I killed one because it's what he wanted, and I made him a promise that I would look after his nephew, so I've tried to do that . . . I was thinking about helping the nephew connect with the pack I killed, but the pack got in the way of me killing my target, and then she got away. I had to let her go. She deserved to die, but there are reasons why it was the better decision to let her leave town with the the nephew." I didn't trust him enough to give him Tyler's name if he needed a werewolf for the sacrifice.

"And why did she deserve to die?"

"She overreacted to Damon when he met her." Sarcastically, I said, "I'm sure you have no idea how that's possible." I glanced at him, and he politely smiled while waiting for me to continue. "But he didn't even really do anything. He may have tried to get her to drink wolfsbane to see if she was what he thought she was, and he may have indicated that she wouldn't find the guy I killed, but that's it. She blew it way out of proportion, said he'd been marked, and left herself unchained that night, so she could kill him. Rose pushed him out of the way and got bitten, and then Jules went running off into the night and killed a group of campers, woke up in the morning, and killed the cop who found her . . . She knew what would happen if she didn't lock herself down for the night . . . and she also knew what would happen to any vampires she bit. That is not an acceptable way to die."

"So, you wanted to kill this Jules to get justice for Rose."

"It would have been justifiable. I know that, but whether it was for justice or revenge - I can't say for sure. There's every possibility that Rose was right. Just after she got bitten, I heard her tell Damon that I was young, and I didn't know how to handle people I know dying, so I'd say and do anything to distance myself from it. I don't know if that's what I was doing or not. I had a goal that I had to accomplish, and I wasn't coming back until it was done . . . Plus, the pack kidnapped Caroline and brought her there, while I was there, and I could hear them torturing her . . . There was no need for that, and I wasn't going to let them start a war."

"Then they didn't just get in the way, there was a greater purpose to their deaths."

Exhaling a sad laugh, I shook my head. "Don't try to make me sound more noble than I am, Elijah. There is a part of me that thought the pack unexpectedly showing up would make the whole thing more thrilling."

"I think there's more to it than that. I think your head and your heart weren't necessarily in the same place, and that's why you're unsure of your motivations, but at least one of them was in the right, and I would offer that you were seeking thrills so that you could feel something other than the loss." I looked at him, and he added, "And it's not unlike what you're doing right now in seeking me out, so you can help me kill my brother."

Looking at the ground, I said, "I know you won't follow through on it . . . We had a nice long discussion about it while you were dead."

His brow rose. "And what made us decide that I wouldn't kill him?"

"Well, if he took something from you that can't be replaced, and if there are supposed to be anywhere from 3 to 5 siblings, but there only seem to be 2 of you, then I figure he's killed the others. You might want to kill him, but you won't, because he's all you have left, and if you do, then you'll truly be alone. You didn't disagree with me." Before he could say anything, I ducked my head and added, "So, I was hoping to make a wager with you."

"Rather than a deal." 

That was the idea, so I nodded before saying, "If you don't kill him, then I have something I want you to do for me if I find a way to take Elena's place in the sacrifice."

Seeming genuinely intrigued, he asked, "And what's that?"

"Look after Damon. He and his brother are getting on better than they have since they were human, but Damon tends to sabotage himself and everyone around him when he gets emotional. And I don't want him to destroy the life he's starting to find for himself for the first time any more than I want him to go on a killing spree. Since it's a wager, it should be something you dislike if you lose, and I know you'd hate it . . . You don't have to get to know him . . . He will try your patience, and I don't want you to kill him. Just keep an eye on him."

"And if I do kill Niklaus?"

If he actually went through with killing his brother? "You won't, but if you do?" I pulled the dagger out of my pocket and said, "You can have this back. I could even arrange to have someone put this in your heart permanently. Without a brother and without a vengeful cause, it may be all you have left."

"As I've already said, I can get that dagger from you any time I want . . . I'm sure I can come up with something better."

"Like?"

"How about if I succeed in killing my brother, I kill Damon as well."

Uh. I guess making wagers with a devil isn't particularly the smartest thing to do. I felt the need to clarify. "So if I die in the sacrifice, and you, not everyone else who wants to kill him, but you specifically, kill your brother, then Damon dies, but if I die in the sacrifice, and you fail to kill your brother, then you'll look out for Damon?"

"It requires many circumstances that will not happen, but that seems to be the sum of it."

I wanted to get this ironed out before I agreed to anything. "And if there's some kind of draw?"

"Such as?"

"Such as, I'm unable to find a way into the sacrifice, but you do kill your brother?"

"Then I'll leave well enough alone, and go on my merry way."

Hm. "You'll let Damon attempting to kill you go?"

"Yes . . . As part of the wager, of course . . . I wouldn't normally forgive such a thing."

Or so you want me to think. "I think you would for the right reasons . . . Why are you so intent on not having me be in the sacrifice?"

He smiled again. "Eve, are you using the wager to get me to divulge more on that than I have?"

Right now, it was about 50/50. I wanted someone to look out for Damon, and I did want more information. Arching an eyebrow, I asked, "Well?"

"I think that given the parameters of your wager, you already suspect why I can't use you in the sacrifice."

"Because I'm a dud . . . I'm not wearing my contacts today, so you can see my eyes, and it explains why Damon says my blood smells like a ham sandwich compared to Elena's . . . It's also why me being the sacrifice means more people will be saved, because the ritual won't work with me in it, and if it doesn't, then whatever it is that Klaus is trying to do won't happen, so he won't be able to kill as many people as he could if he succeeds. I'm not a doppleganger, am I?"

"I'm afraid not."

"Then what am I?"


	39. One Step Closer

While Elijah got Mrs. Lockwood to give him a suit to replace the one that he was wearing, I got a call from Damon. Apparently, Stefan called to tell him that Klaus had been in the school and compelled some girl to tell Elena he'd see her at the dance. I knew Elijah had been able to hear the entire conversation, but he didn't immediately fill me in on the fact that he had, nor was I entirely sure I wanted him to know all of that. I sort of felt like ditching him, so I could investigate by myself. He was going to get in my way. "So, I was thinking that I might head away for awhile . . . let you get reacquainted with the town on your own."

He smiled, because it was obvious why I'd said that. I hadn't exactly been subtle about it. "If I may trouble you for just a few minutes longer, Eve, what is it that you think my brother is doing?"

"Well, I can only speak from personal experience." I checked to make sure he understood that if I was entirely wrong he could chalk it up to inexperience rather than idiocy. "But I tend to think of Elena and her circle as ripples with Elena and Stefan at the center. Damon and Bonnie are a little further out. Jeremy's almost on par with Bonnie now, but still not quite there, and Caroline's further than that. Then it goes Tyler, and after our dinner party, Jenna. Matt would be last. Then there's my Dad. He is in and around the circle. He knows a lot more than the players involved, like 10x as much. Coming into town, all your brother had in the way information was second-hand knowledge from my Mom, and then I'm guessing he got a little more with Katherine, but Katherine's been kept out of the loop on most things. Klaus needs information closer to the source. I chose Damon. I don't know who your brother would choose . . . Bonnie's a witch, which makes her unpredictable, so she's out. Caroline, is currently more concerned with chasing after Matt, so I doubt it's her. Stefan has eyes on Elena constantly, which also means she's got eyes on him, so I don't think it's him. Damon's too much hassle for someone like your brother, so I don't think it's him either. Tyler's out of town. Elena hates my Dad, so while he may know a lot, he's not very close to her. That leaves Matt and Jeremy . . . Jeremy's the better choice because of proximity to Elena. Maybe he's after him . . . and he's using Elena going to the dance as a distraction?" Elijah chuckled, and making an unsure face, I asked, "That bad?"

"Not at all . . . You may not know my brother, or his ways, but I think you did a remarkable job of narrowing down who he is right now."

 _Who he is?_ "What?"

"Oh, it's one his favorite tricks. He has one of his witches put him into the body of someone else, so he can walk around undetected."

Looking mildly disgusted at the thought of being possessed, I said, "So, he's already possessing Jeremy?"

"Or your father. It wouldn't be Jenna. He doesn't particularly like using women for this. There was this one time - " He cut himself off with a laugh at an inside joke before he glanced at me, and his demeanor became more somber. "When was the last time you saw either Jeremy or your father?"

"Since I've moved into the boarding house, I've only seen Jeremy once. My Dad was there last night. I guess my Mom killed him to get him out of the way, so she could use Elena to trick Katherine into being where he wanted."

"Then it's Jeremy." Looking thoughtful, he continued, "And you may have been close on the reason behind his theatrics at the school. Does Katherine know that Bonnie has tapped into her ancestors' magical energy source?"

"They were keeping where the witches were sacrificed from her."

"But she knew it was important?" I nodded, and he said, "Then Niklaus would want to eliminate any doubt on whether Bonnie has that additional power. Jeremy would know Bonnie well, because they're similarly placed in proximity to Elena?"

"From what I've picked up, they're dating, so they're probably going to the dance together."

"Then we must find Bonnie. Niklaus will find out what she has done, and he'll want her dead before he shows his real identity."

"We?"

Breaking from his thoughts, Elijah looked down at me. "Is that a problem?"

 _Yes. You're going to try and stop me from taking Elena's place for that sacrifice. It has to be me, and now I know why. You don't think anything I do will be enough, but I disagree. I have an idea, and it's a good one, but not if you're going to interfere._ Shrugging nonchalantly, I said, "I just thought you were humoring me until you found something better to do."

"I think it would be best if I kept you close for the time being."

 _That's what I thought._ Giving him a considered nod, I said, "Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer."

He smiled briefly. "I do not think of you as an enemy, Eve. If I keep you by my side, then I know where you are, and you won't get in my way."

Well, if it's what he wanted, then I had very little choice but to go along with it for now. He was full of useful information that I might as well use while I had the chance, but I still didn't like it. "I don't trust you Elijah."

"Nor I you . . . consider us allies until it no longer suits either of our interests."

"Why not just kill me now to save yourself the trouble?"

Looking thoughtful, he said, "There is no need. There are other far fairer ways to deal with you, and I find that I am quite interested in seeing how you turn out."

So, he'd find a way to incapacitate me during the sacrifice? Ground me to my room? What? I needed to get away from him before that. "We'll do things my way?"

"What do you propose?"

"Well for starters, the others need to know about Klaus's trick. He may be impersonating Jeremy to get close to Bonnie, and she wouldn't want to hurt Jeremy, since they're dating, so it puts her at a disadvantage. Even if he's not using Jeremy, they need to know it can be anyone. They can deal with all of that. I'll be busy doing something else."

"What will _we_ be busy doing?"

Giving him an annoyed look, I said, "You really insist on doing it this way?"

"I'm afraid I must for the time being."

"I don't need a babysitter. You're going to cramp my style."

He tried not to smile. "All that's left is for you to call me - "

"A buzz kill? Because you totally are."

His eyebrows rose in surprise. "Why, yes, actually." Leaning closer, his eyes narrowed as he examined mine and said, "Niklaus, are you in there?"

I couldn't help but smile. "Elijah, did you just make a joke?" 

"I'll have you know, I've been told that I can be quite funny."

"Yeah, well maybe given another 1000 years, you actually will be." 

Chuckling, he stood tall again and moment later said, "You didn't answer my question, Eve."

"I'm going to find his lair."

Smoothing down his suit, Elijah said, "It won't be left unprotected. At least one of his witches will be there. Even if you managed to take his body, he'd find a way to strong-arm you into giving it back by taking someone you care about, and once he got his body back, he'd kill you, but not before he kills whoever he took that's important to you."

"Well, then it's a good thing I wasn't planning on taking his body." He looked at me, and I said, "I want your word that you won't interfere."

"I give no such assurances. What are you planning?"

If I made my pitch strong enough, he might go along with it. "You see, I have no need to jump into other people's bodies to walk around undetected, and I'm willing to bet that he hasn't killed Katherine yet. 500 years is a long time to want to punish someone. Too long for the punishment to be over quickly, and now he's more focused on his shiny new doppleganger than the old vampire one. He won't be looking at Katherine too closely. He'll wait until the sacrifice is over to carry out whatever he's planning to do to her, and if he doesn't come back from the sacrifice, then it won't matter. Plus, if he knows about me, then I need him to think I'm dead . . . I'll no longer be your problem. I'll be his, and you can focus more on Elena when they inevitably find out that I let you go."

He considered it. "An intriguing proposition." He helpfully added, "You're forgetting about his witches."

"I'll kill whoever is there before I kill Katherine."

"If you kill both his witches, he'll kill who he thinks is Katerina in a fit of rage. He has no impulse control."

"Then I'll leave at least one of the witches alive, but whoever the lucky witch is won't be conscious to know what happens next, and if I, posing as Katherine, kill the real Katherine and make her look like me, i.e. the person who killed his witch, then he may be less enraged with her. It's something she'd do anyway for self-preservation."

He hummed in thought before saying, "One look at you and the witch left alive will know you are not who you say you are, and they are incredibly loyal to him." He hesitated before pulling his hands from his pockets and removing his tie pin. Indicating towards me, he asked, "May I?'

I squinted at the tie pin. Was that a diamond? "If it's really very expensive, then I don't think - "

"It's had a spell placed on it to prevent the wearer from being located by magic. It should be able to prevent a witch from using his or her gifts to see who you really are." 

Looking up at him, I asked, "Won't you need it because of the witches working with him?"

"If Katerina knew that I was in the basement with a dagger in my heart, then that is where Niklaus still believes I am, so he won't be looking for me." 

Oh. He had a point. His eyebrows rose in a silent request to pin it to me, and I looked at the pin again. It was really quite delicate . . . and exactly what I needed. "Why would you help me?"

"Because Niklaus has most likely quenched his immediate desire to cause her pain. He won't do more until after the sacrifice, which should make you relatively safe . . . and if you're as smart as I think you are, you won't try to escape him before the sacrifice, so you'll be out of my way until then, but I do not foresee you being able to go from being Katerina to being Elena in the time you'll have to make that switch."

"I'll find a way."

He smiled briefly before saying, "I hope you don't." 

Glancing at the pin again, he silently asked for permission to give it to me once more. I reluctantly nodded, and he pinned it to my hoodie before saying, "A word of advice, Eve. You may be able to walk out that door at any time, since you're not compelled, but don't. He'll track you down, drain you of the vervain, and make you suffer."

"Or he'll do all those things to Katherine . . . I'm only planning to snap her neck. That's why she'll let me do it. I'll dart her with vervain, so his compulsion will weaken, and she won't have to come back to his lair after her 'dead' body's been safely removed."

"So, your plan is to save her."

"In a round about way . . . She'll be my decoy if he goes looking for anyone, but I'd like to offer her the chance."

"And what if she chooses to repay you by filling him in on your plan."

I nodded. "She could, but she's been caught this time. Thinking she knew what would happen to her was enough to keep her on the run for over 500 years, but now she knows what she's in store for if he keeps her, and something tells me that she could go one of two ways with it. She'll either be truly motivated to kill him and commit more fully to the cause, because she was mostly keeping her options open before he caught her, or she'll take the distraction this sacrifice provides and use it to run again."


	40. The Plan to End All Plans

After Elijah and I left the Lockwood's, he went to take care of some business, and I called Damon and told him about Klaus being somebody else, most likely Jeremy and why, so Elena and Stefan were staying with Bonnie and would give her a lift to the dance. I wondered how that conversation went . . . like how did he convince them? Did they know I'd told him? Why would they trust anything I said? They wouldn't, but if Damon was sure, then he'd find a way to make them listen as a precaution. And why did he trust me? He'd automatically wanted to know how I knew that, but I hadn't told him about Elijah. I'd just told him, "I have my ways,' and he'd accepted it. He was going to be so angry when he found out what I'd done. 

I decided to go back to the boarding house to get a few things that I might need and to tell him about Elijah before saying goodbye. I wanted him to focus on the dance tonight, but I owed him a goodbye. He hadn't taken it well, and now I had no idea where he was, so I decided to use what time I had left to play my forgotten piano. It's the last time I was ever going to play it. Halfway through the song, I didn't feel I was doing Cyndi Lauper's song justice by just playing.

" _After my picture fades_  
_And darkness has turned to gray_  
_Watching through windows_  
_You're wondering if I'm OK_  
_Secrets - stolen - from deep inside_  
_The drum beats out of time -_

_If you're lost you can look-and you will find me_  
_Time after time_  
_If you fall I will catch you-I'll be waiting_  
_Time after time_

_If you're lost you can look-and you will find me_  
_Time after time_  
_If you fall I will catch you-"_

I stopped singing, but kept playing when I heard Damon say, "What are you doing? You need to talk to her."

I guess he went to get reinforcements. I heard my Dad say, "Her Mom used to sing this to her to get her to sleep," and stopped playing. Never in a million years would I have ever thought that A) Damon would go to my Dad looking for help on anything or B) that my Dad would agree to help him, but especially on this. I'd thought it might be Caroline, not him. I didn't look but waited to hear where this was going. 

"She's good, isn't she?" There was a pause before Dad continued, "She was really young when she first started . . . I didn't know what to get her for her birthday, found this tiny little keyboard that was still too big for her . . . Thought for sure that I'd gotten it wrong, but she lit up when she opened it. She had no idea what it was, but she loved it simply because it'd come from me. She studied it for a while and pushed some of the keys until her Mom showed her a simple little melody, and that was it . . . she was sold, looked at her Mom like she'd performed magic, and kept trying until she could play it too." I swallowed and looked to the side to try and keep the tears at bay. This was my Dad. I'd really missed him. 

He came to sit next to me, and I put my fingertips on the keys, like I needed them for strength, before he said, "And the better she got, the better her keyboards got . . . Isobel finally saved up enough to buy her an old used piano, but Eve didn't get to keep it for very long." I remembered that night. It was the night he found out she'd become a vampire. I finally looked at him, and he said, "Isobel and I got into a fight after she turned, and Eve's piano was the casualty. Rather than admit she'd been wrong and getting Eve a new one, Isobel doubled down on it and said no more piano . . . it was too loud and would draw too much unwanted attention. I bet if you went through Eve's things though, you'd still find that little red keyboard. It was small enough to hide from Isobel when she got rid of the rest. And Eve never sings, so it's nice to hear . . . Isobel told her she shouldn't . . . again something she did after she turned." 

"Dad." Maybe he was saying it as much to get at Damon for turning Mom as he was to complain about her, but I didn't want him saying bad things about her. She'd still been a good Mom after she turned. 

Ignoring my warning, he looked back towards the doorway and said, "I was wondering how you managed to keep her in one place this long. All she's ever known is how to be on the move. She wouldn't have stayed in her safe house this long even if Katherine hadn't wormed her way into it." Looking back at the piano, he shook his head. "But when I saw this on the night of the dinner party, I knew." Flicking his gaze in my direction, he added, "She thinks this is hers by the way . . . You lost all ownership the moment she saw it . . . she'd live with the one in your other room if that's all you had, but this one is different. It's not just that it's a better piano. She identifies with it. This room hasn't seen much use in quite a long time from what I can tell, and she thinks the piano is as forgotten as she feels she is. Plus, it's secluded, and because of the way we raised her, she's only ever comfortable when she's alone, or thinks she is . . . She's not like Elena. She wouldn't be able to cope with a lot people in her life no matter how hard she tried, and for that, I am truly sorry, because I know how amazing she is one-on-one. Not many will ever have the privilege of knowing that, and it is a great loss to them." 

Gnawing the inside of my cheek, I stared at the keys and felt my vision go a little blurry, while he continued. "Eve, you don't have to do this."

"You've always said - "

"I know what I've said, but now I'm telling you that I want you to run." I looked at him, and he added, "And don't look back."

"It has to be me."

"No, Eve. It doesn't. As long as we kept you apart, it only had to be one of you. It does not only fall on you."

"Why are you suddenly changing your mind on it now?" Mimicking Elijah from earlier, I searched my Dad's eyes and muttered, "Klaus, is that you?"

"Because I don't want my little girl to die." I stopped short at his admission, and he said, "And you will now that he knows about both of you. I can't let you do it."

My shoulders slumped, and I shook my head in sadness. "I was always going to die."

"And you could've come back, but now - "

"You don't want me as a vampire."

"You don't even know the truth. You - "

"I know why it has to be me, Dad. You and Mom chose for it to be me because it was the lesser of two evils. Just me or Elena and everyone Klaus kills once he becomes a hybrid and can create his hybrid army . . . If he kills me, then none of that will happen, and he'll move on if he thinks Elena is the one that's dead."

My Dad ignored Damon asking what I was talking about, while his eyes stayed on me. "You know."

"That I'm special only in the fact that I'm human? Yeah, I know I'm not a doppleganger. I'm just Elena's identical twin . . . I have no idea how that happened. Somehow when we became two people, she kept all the doppleganger qualities, and I didn't. That's an anomaly in and of itself, but one that presents a unique opportunity to keep Klaus from breaking the curse, while saving Elena and the others. Nature sure has a funny way of creating loopholes to prevent perversions against it . . . like the creation of a hybrid."

"It wasn't nature. It was us. The stronger doppleganger was the one that would live. She would've siphoned your power away until you were too weak to survive, so a coven said they'd just give it all to the strongest one, and if there was nothing for her to siphon, you'd both survive, but there was a price."

"You had to lose one eventually."

"At least one." I abruptly got up from the piano bench, and he said, "But it doesn't have to be you, Eve."

Looking back at him I yelled, "This is the real reason you trained me! You pushed me so hard, because you thought I was weak . . . Weak in the womb. Weak in life . . . Well, I'm not . . . It's just more in Elena's nature to take, take, take. That's not strength. That's a neediness that I don't possess." Something occurred to me, and I slapped my hand to my forehead. "That's why Mom always told me to let people think they were using me, but to not actually let them use me . . . She actually thought I needed a reminder not to let people walk all over me, because apparently I would've let Elena just suck the life right out of me. Well, I'm not weak. I'll show you just how much strength I have." Pausing to take a breath, I quietly conceded, "Just as soon as one of you hands over the white oak ash." I needed it to be in my system when Klaus bit me, and I was hoping that'd be enough to weaken him, so that Elijah could have his shot, one he wouldn't necessarily complete, but maybe ingesting all of it would make Klaus weak enough that one of the others could.

When neither of them told me who had the white oak ash, I retreated to my room in protest. How was I going to pull this off without it? I'd found a way to ditch Elijah. I'd found a way to get Klaus to forget about me by faking my death and pretending to be Katherine. I wasn't compelled the way she was, so I could seize any opportunities to replace Elena that presented themselves between now and the sacrifice without Klaus expecting it . . . But I needed to find a way to kill him . . . It was the only way of preventing him from ever breaking the curse, and without the white oak ash, I didn't think I could that. If what made the daggers special was that it could harness the power of the white oak ash, then white oak ash must be toxic to originals. Vervain wasn't enough. I needed that ash in my system too, and Damon obviously thought my plan was solid, or he wouldn't have gone and tattled on me.

I was sitting on my bed with my head in my hands and sprang to my feet when I heard my door open. Quickly approaching Damon, I asked, "Do you have it?"

At my tone, his eyebrows rose, as he said, "Well, I can see that plan backfired."

"Most of yours do. Did you convince him to give it to you for 'safe keeping,' or have you had it all along?"

Pulling a glass container out of his pocket, he shook it in front of my face and said, "What, this? Oh, I've had it since he gave me the dagger." Putting it back in his pocket before I could grab it, he added, "I haven't decided on whether I'm gong to give it to you or not."

"Why? You want Klaus dead. You want Elena alive. It is win-win for you. Just give it to me, and - " 

"I got you something else." My gut was suddenly telling me not to trust him. It told me that he was acting so cavalier because he'd come up with a plan, and I was sure it was one I wouldn't like, which might be why when he encroached on my space by taking a step closer, I took a step back, and he ended up walking me right into a corner between the wall and my bookcase. When I couldn't go any further, he took my hand and lifted it between us, so he could drop something into it. I briefly tore my eyes away from his, so I could see what it was, and then had to do a double take. My Dad's ring.

"Did you - "

"He gave it to me and then left. I did not kill him." I nodded before looking back up to him. Taking it from my palm, he slid it over my thumb and said, "If you're human, it'll work on you. Will you wear it if I agree to give you the ash for your plan?" For the ring to work, you had to be wearing it, not just have it in your pocket or on a chain around your neck. Even if Klaus was too busy during the sacrifice to notice that I'd slipped it on before he killed me, he'd see it after I was dead, and he'd been around long enough to probably know what it did when he saw it. The point was to make him go away if Elijah didn't kill him, not for him to stick around after the sacrifice didn't work, so he could try and kill Elena again. So, no, I probably wouldn't wear it. I nodded anyway. 

Leaning closer with an amused look on his face, Damon whispered, "Liar." One out and out lie did not make me a liar. My eyes narrowed into a glare, and I went to walk away from him, but he brought his right arm up to keep me penned where I was. "I know. It's the first bold faced lie you've told me." He rolled his eyes and added, "And you think that means you're not a liar, but I've learned not to trust you . . . at least not when it comes to your own safety."

"Damon - "

Moving closer he said, "You let Elijah out."

"Yeah, but I told you I did."

He mused over that for a moment. "Yeah, I was a little surprised you told me that, but then I realized you were trying to get out ahead of it, because I would've noticed an Original disappearing from my basement, and I would've known who did it." Smiling he said, "You don't like it when I'm mad at you," and then his smile slowly fell. "But not enough for it to make you stop and think before you do something stupid. Sometimes I think you're my best friend and worst enemy, because you keep trying to take you away from me. Nobody else is doing that. It's just you."

I found it difficult to ignore his sincerity, so I didn't. I absorbed it and felt myself relax even while I disagreed with him. "It's not stupid. It's a good plan."

Giving me the hint of a smile, he said, "Eve, you are an evil genius, but any plan that ends with you dead and gone forever is stupid . . . And I think if I were to turn you, you're stubborn enough not to complete the transition, just so you could prove to me that it wasn't my decision to make."

He was probably right about that, so I conceded his point with a slight shrug before saying, "Damon, you don't need me. You have Stefan and Elena and - " 

His lips were suddenly covering mine, and I flinched before my forehead furrowed in confusion. Without thinking, I leaned into him, and he slid an arm around my waist to pull me closer, while his free hand went to the back of my head. His lips were soft, and he was really a lot more gentle about it than I would've thought . . . not that I ever let myself think about him like this. I'd barely allowed him to be my friend, and I wasn't going to be around for much longer, so the idea of something like this never entered my mind. It shouldn't be there now. What was I doing?

I broke the kiss and felt my heart beat take off. Suddenly feeling very claustrophobic, I shoved myself out of his grasp. I got a step or two away from him and felt the room start to spin. One second I was upright, and the next I was falling to my knee and reaching for a wall that wasn't there. Toppling over, I mumbled. "What'd you do to me?" 

The world was starting to get hazy, and it felt like sound was getting further away, as he said, "Well, you were right. I can't be in two places at once, and I need to make sure you're safe, so I can focus on Elena."

He must've given me an injection of what I'd had him get for Tyler. How did I not feel that? Stupid kiss. He crouched down to pick me up, and I muttered, "Thank God. I thought you were serious." 

Adjusting me in his hold, he said, "Who says I wasn't?" 

Closing my eyes, I burrowed my face into his shoulder. "Me. I say."

"I told myself that if you brought Elena up again, I was going to show you how I felt about it, and you did."

"Liar. "

He laughed.

"You want me to do it again?" 

I drowsily shook my head and mumbled, "I'll still win."

"Evie, if you winning means you dying - " I nodded to let him know that's what it meant, and he cut himself off to say. "You are going to be so mad at me when you wake up." I lazily nodded again, and the last thing I heard him say before I completely passed out was, "But you'll find a way to forgive me, and if it means you're still alive to be mad at me, then I'll take it."


	41. Do You Regret Your Choice Now?

" _I am an antichrist_  
_I am an anarchist_  
_Don't know what I want_  
_but I know how to get it_  
_I wanna destroy the passerby cos I_

 _I wanna be anarchy -_ "

My eyes scrunched tighter as my hand reached for the annoyance by my head. I knew who it was by the ringtone. Answering it, my voice croaked, "Damon?"

I heard him breathe a sigh of relief. " _You're still with me? I wasn't sure if it was too much, but I thought that as long as I was the one who gave it to you, with your ring -_ "

My eyes opened, and I frowned at what I saw with the light of my phone. "Damon . . . what did you do?" I pushed up on the boards above me with my free hand, and they wouldn't budge. Trying the sides, I got the same result and looked behind my head. Same fucking thing. Kicking, I wasn't overly surprised when my feet connected with solid wood. "Did you bury me in a fucking pine box?"

" _Eve -_ "

"Don't you Eve me, Damon Salvatore. You - " 

" _Have I ever told you that I like it when you say my name like that, all angry and -_ " 

"Damon, I'm going to kill you." 

" _No you won't._ " 

"Well, I'll make you wish you were dead . . . as soon as I find a way out of here, and then I'm going to - " 

" _Yeah, it's the 'and then' part that you won't be doing. Klaus already has Elena. She handed herself over to him. Nobody would listen to reason. I might've done something bad before she left._ " 

"Worse than burying me alive?! Damon, seriously, get me out of here." 

" _I will, but not until it's over._ " 

"But I need to be there. You can't keep me from doing the one thing I was supposed to do with my life, Damon!" 

" _Eve, you were meant for so much more than this . . . And just so you know, he wanted 'both Gilbert girls.'_ " 

"So, Elena knows about me now?" 

" _Maybe he told her after he took her? I don't know . . . And you know, I tell you that he wanted both of you, and that's what you're concerned about? He was planning to turn you and use you as the vampire in his sacrifice . . . Katherine fixed it. She told him that I said your Dad took you out of town, so there's no way he'd get you back in time, and I guess she sold it._ " 

"Why would she - " 

" _Why does Katherine do anything? Who knows?_ " 

As the realization sunk in that I was seriously being benched with no way into the game, I got a little teary and asked, "Damon, how long have I been here?" 

" _. . . A couple of days._ " 

"A couple of days?! How the fuck did you manage that? I - " 

" _That's what I was trying to tell you. I had to give you a large enough dose to keep you down for a while and more when I got you there. You were still out when I checked on you last night, and I gave you more then, but I didn't know if it was all too much, since you're human and all . . . I knew you were wearing the ring, and I'm the one that did this to you, so if you died from supernatural causes, I thought even if I got it wrong, it should -_ " 

"You think it's possible that you killed me, and you're worried about me getting myself killed?!" 

His response was snappy. " _I don't think I killed you, but if I did, then I made sure you'd come back, which is more than you would've done._ " 

In frustration, I issued a quiet scream, while I kicked and punched the box surrounding me, and then tried to take a deep breath, so I could calm down. Who knew how much oxygen I had in here? Bringing the phone back to my ear, I said, "You keep saying you're the one that did this to me . . . You didn't come up with this on your own, so who -" 

" _I did. I just got permission to -_ " 

My eyes widened at what he was saying. "My Dad told you that you could do this to me?!" 

" _Not this exactly, but you were being unreasonable, and he said I could do whatever it took to keep you out of this._ " 

Bringing my hand to my head, I rubbed the stress out of my forehead and muttered, "And you wonder why I lie by omission. I finally tell you what I'm planning, and this is what you do? Let me out of here." 

" _I can't do that. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. This is the first time you've answered. I left you food and water and poked some holes in sides, so you could breathe, but -_ " 

"What am I your lightening bug now?" 

He laughed. " _Can I call you that?_ " 

"What? No . . . no nicknames. It's bad enough that you call me Evie." 

" _You like Evie._ " 

"I didn't mind Evil Evie, which is exactly what you're going to see when I get out of here." I heard him breath out another laugh and said, "Wait, if you poked holes in my coffin, it means I'm above ground. I'm in a crypt or mausoleum." I looked around at the sides again. "Which means that I can destroy this box without worrying that I'll be crushed under a bunch of dirt." 

" _You're also in a burial vault. There's no way you'll be able to lift the lid off by yourself._ " 

"Challenge accepted." 

" _Eve, you're not getting out of there until I come let you out._ " 

"Damon, if you don't let me out of here right now - " 

" _Then worse case scenario, Elena dies, but she'll be coming back._ " 

I hesitated. "What does that mean?" 

" _It means I force-fed her my blood._ " 

I closed my eyes and took another calming breath before saying, "That's the bad thing you did?" 

" _Uh, yeah . . . and I've been trying to make it right all day. I just really needed to talk to you._ " 

So now his story was changing? He hadn't just been worried that I was dead. There was something else. The shift in his story and tone of voice pinged all kinds of alarm bells. "What happened?" 

" _Nothing, I just -_ " 

"I don't believe you. You ran around all day trying to make things right, and I'm guessing something went wrong, or you wouldn't need to talk to me . . . Damon, is he using you as the vampire instead of - " 

" _No. Nothing like that._ " 

"Well, did Klaus hurt you? Is that why - " 

" _I'm fine, Eve. I swear. There's nothing you need to worry about._ " 

"You're lying. Something is wrong. You wouldn't be wasting your time on me if Elena is - " 

" _It's just been a really bad day . . . Can I ask you something?_ " 

"It's not like I'm doing anything important. Go ahead." 

" _I know you hate me right now, but the reason you chose me . . . it was for things like this, right? Making the decisions that Stefan wouldn't . . . Are you regretting it now? I mean, do you think I'm a villain now?_ " 

Sighing, I took a few moments to consider my response. My immediate thought was that I should say I did, but it would've just been to hurt him the only way I could from where I was, and words hurt Damon more than actions, so while I may want to cause him physical pain, I also felt like I shouldn't say something that would leave a lasting mark. "You're still an anti-hero. Your methods might be infuriating, but . . . no, I don't regret choosing you. I don't hate you either. I got out-played, and I'm going to be angry about that, but if the situation was reversed? I'd probably do the exact same thing." 

" _Yeah?_ " 

"Uh huh." Okay, so maybe I couldn't reign myself in completely. "Oh, and by the way, by burying me in here, you may have inadvertently saved your own life." 

" _What's that supposed to mean?_ " 

"I made a wager with Elijah." 

" _What kind of wager?_ " 

"If I found a way to take Elena's place, and he did bring himself to kill his brother, he could kill you." 

" _You're messing with me, right?_ " 

Now, I felt like I had to try and fix it. "Nope. If I took Elena's place, and he didn't kill his brother, then he had to look out for you and keep you from self-destructing. I was sure I'd win." 

" _How sure?_ " 

"100% . . . Keep an eye on him. If you want Klaus dead, don't expect Elijah to do it no matter what he says. He means it about as much as you'd mean it about Stefan." 

" _So, she'll die for nothing._ " 

"If that's why she's doing it, then yeah. Regret your choice to lock me in here now?" 

" _I have to go . . . Bonnie's ready, and we've got an Original to kill._ " 

"Damon - " I looked at my phone, and he was gone. It was a miracle my battery had lasted this long. I tried calling my Dad, but the number I had for him had been disconnected. I had no idea how much longer I'd still be able to get light from it, so I shut it off and felt around for the water and what felt like a brown paper bag. Had Damon made me a packed lunch for the world's worst field trip? I'd almost think it was sweet if I wasn't in a coffin. Okay, maybe I thought it was a little sweet, and it took some of the heat out of my anger. Note to self: Don't let Damon babysit animals or small children. He'll try if it's for the right person, but still mostly get it all wrong, and they'll probably wind up in an unmarked grave. 

My mouth was pretty dry, so I went for the water and then felt around in my pockets for any weapons he might have missed. He'd apparently missed all of them. He was really confident that if I was able to get out of the box, I still wouldn't be able to get through the vault, or whatever else was outside of the vault. Maybe I was in a crypt. The thought made me shiver. Thinking about being locked away in a drawer with dead bodies above, below, and on either side of me really creeped me out. I hoped it was just a mausoleum. Knowing my luck, it probably wasn't. Not letting that deter me, I pulled out an old Swiss Army Knife, I'd had forever and decided to use that first. I didn't want to waste my better weapons on the pine box, so that one should do just fine. I'd find a way to get out of here and where I needed to be if it's the last thing I did. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ringtone = Anarchy in the UK by the Sex Pistols.


	42. It's All Over

The water had been a bad choice. I didn't know how long I was going to be in here, and I seriously had to go to pee. Who knows? After being in here for a couple of days, maybe I'd already pissed myself, but if I had, it'd already dried by the time I woke up, so I was blissfully unaware of it, but now, I was fully awake and really, really did not want to lose the contents of my bladder all over the inside of a fucking grave. It motivated me to keep going even after I'd punched, kicked, and gouged my way out of the wooden box and found myself faced with a concrete dome just a little bigger than the coffin above it. There's no way I'd be able to lift it off of me, so I didn't even try. 

I just wedged every weapon I had into the crevice between the top and lefthand side and held them down to get some space between the top and sides, wedged them in further if they didn't break, and kept doing it until there was a nice little gap. Then I put every ounce of strength I had into pushing on the righthand side of the lid. I felt it move and pushed again, making it slide further, and then I had to stop and think. What was I going to do if it fell in on top of me? It'd crush me . . . but not if I did it at an angle, so the top slid diagonally and most of the weight was in the middle. If I did that, the sides could support the weight of the entire lid, and I wouldn't have to worry about being crushed, just getting enough space to slither my way out. 

Grabbing a dagger near my knee, I pulled it out of it's position under the lid, and brought it up closer to my head. I needed more leverage towards the top. When it was in as far as I could get it, I put all my effort into pushing at the right-hand corner of the lid, felt it move, and shined my phone down towards my feet. It looked like it was holding down there, and then my phone died. Well, that was a lot more than I could've hoped to get out of it. I went back to pushing and hoping that with me pushing it away from my head that if any part of it fell, it'd be the end near my feet. I could live with broken legs . . . probably, but a crushed head? Not so much. 

A 2 inch gap became 4 inches, and the knife closest to the top was disturbed enough to fall into the coffin. I picked it up and put it in it's sheath. It was probably ruined, but maybe I could salvage it. I didn't particularly need it at the angle the lid was at anyway. The 4 inch gap at the top left corner became 6 inches, and the daggers near my head and shoulder fell on me. They didn't really do any damage, or at least none that I noticed. I continued working on it. When gap got to be about 8 inches, I switched strategies, grabbed ahold of the left hand side, and tugged/pushed it further from the edge. In another 15 minutes, I had it far enough away from the side that I could reach both arms out, and decided to give it a try. 

I kicked my legs and squirmed my way up the coffin, ignoring splitters I may have gotten, and twisting my body to the side, I followed my arms out and managed to get my head through the gap. Bringing my hands back down against the side of the lid, I put my back into pushing and got it to move another couple of inches, so I get up to my waist, and then I had to push it a little more to get my ass out. As soon as I was free, I climbed over the top and hopped down onto the ground before racing outside and finding somewhere private to relieve myself. It was only after I'd done that and retrieved the rest of my weapons from the tomb that I felt a slight jolt of pride at my accomplishment, but mostly I was tired and sore and wanted to take a shower. 

Looking around, I had no idea where I was. I didn't really know my way around town very well, and this was definitely out of town, which I knew even less. There was light peeking out over the tops of the trees, so it was almost morning. I didn't even know which direction to go. North, South, East or West. Were there any old cemeteries near town? Or was I even near town? Was I even in the same state? I didn't know, so I just started walking. If anyone saw me coming out of the mausoleum looking the way I did, they'd probably think I was one of the living dead . . . the zombie kind, not the kind my housemates were. I was bloody and dirty and an overall mess.

It didn't take me long to find a small lane that lead away from the forgotten graveyard, but finding a main road that connected to that one took a while. Right or left? I went left, and then I had to find a sign to find out where I was. When I finally found one, I sighed. Should've gone right. I had to turn around and go back the way I'd come. It was almost noon before I finally found my way to the boarding house, and I was in a foul mood.

I just wanted a shower and food . . . maybe to go to bed, but I had spent days asleep, so it seemed like a waste . . . a waste of days, and a waste of a life - mine to be exact. It's not like I'd ever had anything to look forward to in my life, except for maybe how it was going to end and making sure that something good came of my miserable little life and death, but now? Now what was I supposed to do? 

Opening the front door, I walked right on in without caring if anyone was there. If it was all over, then it didn't matter if anyone saw me. That didn't mean I wanted to meet any of them though, so when I walked by the main living room on my way to my room, I was more than a little annoyed when Stefan suddenly flashed in front of me. My hand went to my lucky stake, probably the only weapon I had on me that wasn't ruined, and my eyes narrowed into a glare, but then Damon was suddenly standing between us and putting his hands on my shoulders to get my attention. Making sure to say my name, so his brother knew I wasn't Katherine, he said, "Eve, if you want to take it out on someone, take it out on me." 

I immediately backed down. I was irritable, and a little unsure of my place in the world right now. I was also going to find a way to pay him back, but I wasn't going to stake him unless he attacked me, and he hadn't attacked me. He'd done what he thought was right to protect me, and it made me so angry, but I wasn't going to kill him or even cause him physical harm. Taking my relaxed pose as a good sign, he smiled briefly and said, "So, I guess keeping you sedated was a good idea if it only took you this long to get out after you woke up. I was coming to get you, but we just got back, and - " 

Rolling my eyes, I went around him, and got stopped by Stefan again. He looked concerned, but tried to pretend like greeting a dirty, bloody girl standing in his house was normal. "Hi Eve. I don't believe we've met. I'm - "

"We spoke on the phone, remember?"

He smiled a little unsurely. "I meant face to face."

"Actually, we've met that way too. I'm not sure what your brother told you to explain it all, but I'm the one that helped him get you out of that house when the tomb vampires had you, and I darted you at the Miss Mystic Falls contest . . . and I don't know if you count it as meeting me or not, but I shot you up with vervain again when Mason Lockwood wolfed out 2 months ago yesterday." Maybe that's what I would do. I'd just tell Stefan everything Damon had been up to lately and leave Damon to clean it up himself. Turning my head to look back at Damon, I asked, "Does that just about cover it?" 

Looking over my head at Stefan, he nodded before saying, "Yeah, that should do it for now, Eve . . . Why don't you go get cleaned up? We need to talk."

Pointing between us, I asked, "You and I need to talk," and then pointed between he and Stefan before saying, "Or you and Stefan need to talk?"

Gently turning me and pushing me around Stefan, he said, "Both." 

Walking around the corner, I heard Stefan ask, "Where is she going?" and responded for Damon.

"My room." I smirked when I heard Stefan loudly ask what I was talking about and answered that one too as I carried on down the hall. "Oh, I've been living here since Founder's Day." 

I felt a million times better after my shower. Sitting on my bed with the sandwich Damon had made me for my tomb escapade, I brushed my hair with my free hand, but stopped when I heard a knock at my door. "If that's Stefan - "

"It's me."

"When have you ever knocked, Damon? Just come in." 

Opening the door, he peeked his head around the corner. "You're playing this way too cool. I'm waiting for the claws to come out."

I tried not to smile, while I ran the brush through my hair and said, "I think I'm just going to keep tattling on you to your brother. It seems to be working a treat so far. I get to watch you squirm without causing you any physical pain."

Stepping in through the door, he closed it behind him. "I'm still expecting a stake in my side any second."

I shrugged before looking at my sandwich and saying, "Nah, if I were going to do that, I'd do it when you weren't expecting it." My gaze flicked to him before I darkly added, "And maybe that's part of my evil plan . . . I'll keep you waiting and waiting and waiting without ever doing anything, so you'll always be on guard." 

He nodded before hesitantly moving to sit on the foot of my bed. "It's still a work in progress, isn't it?"

I did smile at that. "Yeah . . . I don't want to hurt you, Damon. I mean, not really . . . guess my heart isn't in it. I could pay you back by having you get some of my splinters out, but - "

"Done."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but you know it's not really getting me back, right?" 

"Why does this feel like another teachable moment brought to me by Damon." 

He smiled before tentatively moving closer and said, "It's more like you're letting me do something for you . . . which I want to do, and in return, you don't hold what I did against me forever."

I looked at the ends of my hair. "I'm not even sure I hold it against you right now. Now that I'm clean, I find that I'm mostly lost." Looking at him, I asked, "What am I supposed to do now?"

He bit his bottom lip before looking away from me briefly and when his eyes returned to mine, he tried, "Well, for starters you can let me have a look at those splinters."

I turned away from him and pulled the collar of my long-sleeved t-shirt down, so he could see the back of my shoulder, and he gave a low whistle before sitting closer. "Did you try to shoot your way out of there?"

"I didn't have any guns on me, so it's not a wooden bullet. It's from the coffin."

Getting up to go into my bathroom, he asked, "Why didn't you just wait for me?" 

"What else was I going to do with my time?"

Damon came back with a pair of tweezers, a bottle of rubbing alcohol, and gauze before sitting behind me again. "Work on your evil plan for revenge?"

"Too frustrated to think."

"Okay, I'm gonna pull this out, and - " He did it unexpectedly and immediately poured the alcohol over it. I hissed at the stinging sensation as he covered it in gauze and nodded when he asked if I was okay. "Where are the others?"

"I think I got most of them. There's just one here." I reached back to gingerly touch the lower left quadrant of my back, and he lifted the bottom of my shirt before sliding it down a few moments later and resting his forehead on my shoulder. "That bad?"

He nodded. "Is this what you meant? Did you do this to yourself to get back at me for - "

"No, Drama King, I did not intentionally hurt myself to make you feel bad. If I were a fox, I would've gnawed my paw off to get out of that trap. I wanted out, and I didn't care what I had to do to get out. I didn't want you to get the splinters out to make you feel bad either. I just thought it would be kind of gross."

Whining into my back, he said, "You were just supposed to stay in one place for a couple of days and be safe . . . Why does it look like you staked yourself and broke the tip off in there?"

"Oh. I might have actually done that. There were weapons all over the place by the time I was done, and it was dark in there. I wasn't exactly paying attention to anything other than keeping the vault lid from falling on top of me."

"I think you might need to go to the hospital for this one."

"No. No way. I did not walk for however many miles just to - "

"Eve, it doesn't mean I think you're weak. If you did all this to prove you weren't, I never thought - "

"Just pull it out and slap a band aid over it. I'll be fine."

"It could get infected, and what if it hit something important? What if I don't get it all out? I - "

"Damon."

"Yes, Eve?"

I smiled at him using my line against me and relaxed. "I trust you."

He leaned closer, so he could look at me over my shoulder and said, "Then you're an even bigger fool than I thought."

"Nope." I looked up at him and said, "It's what you do. Just fix it, and I'll be fine."

For a few brief moments, he looked . . . sad? And then tried to smirk. "I am always having to clean up your messes, aren't I?"

Turning away from him, I muttered, "Technically, this is our mess. You're the idiot who underestimated how much I did not want to be in a coffin."

Ducking his head, he responded, "Funny. That's exactly where I thought you wanted to be."

Because I'd wanted to be in the sacrifice? I quickly looked at him. "Were you being poetic again?" His head was still bowed, but his eyebrow arched in the affirmative before he gave me a side-glance. "I really must've pissed you off. I thought you only reserved that kind of thing for Katherine." He tilted his head from side to side, like maybe, and I said, "It's not because I called you an Amazon after I passed out, is it?" He chuckled before looking at me, and I felt like I had to say, "I'm not sorry Damon. I still think it was the right thing to do."

"Ditto, Evie." His eyes widened playfully as he added, "But I did like seeing how that crazy mind of yours thinks." 

"Yeah?"

His mischievous grin transformed into a proud smile, and he nodded. "Yeah . . . I don't think it would've worked. You underestimated how sadistic he is, and there are just some things that you wouldn't be able to do if you were pretending to be Katherine, like burn in the sun, and he would've known. Then you would be dead instead of Jenna."

"Jenna's dead?"

He nodded before turning me around, so he could get another look at my back. "He turned her and - "

"Used her as the vampire . . . why?"

"I interfered."

"How?"

"He was planning to use Caroline and Tyler, so I broke them out and killed one of his witches."

He doused the tweezers in alcohol, and I said, "But that wasn't enough." I tensed and held my breath when I felt the metal prongs probing my back.

"Nope." I didn't say anything, just waited for him to do his thing, and knowing he had the floor, he said, "He had a back up werewolf and used Jenna instead."

"Who was the - " 

I slammed my eyes shut when I felt the tweezers go into my back, and was only half-listening when he said, "Jules."

I gritted out, "Good," and he tried not to laugh.

"You need to relax."

"Yeah? Let me shoot you with a wooden bullet and see how relaxed you are when I try to pull it out."

I felt the piece of wood move as he grasped it and went back to holding my breath. "You ready?" I nodded, and then shrieked in pain when he ripped it out. Not even a second later, he was covering it in gauze to try and stop the bleeding. "Shit." He rested his forehead on my shoulder again, while he kept pressure over the hole in my back, and I knew he was most likely trying to keep himself from vamping out, so I didn't move or say anything and 10 seconds later, he muttered, "I'm not giving you my blood."

"I don't want your blood."

Inhaling calm breaths against my shoulder, he nodded in agreement. "Then I'm taking you to the hospital. I don't know how else to make this stop."

I reached behind me to pat the back of his head, and still didn't think that he had control over his vampire problem yet. "I'm okay, Fluffy." He laughed, and then I felt him relax, so I knew he was okay again. "Just keep adding gauze on top until it stops seeping through and then tape it down. We can clean it and sterilize it later when we change the bandages, and you can get me some antibiotics if you're really concerned about infection." 

He nodded again before sitting back to get more gauze. "So, we need to talk about what happened."

"I thought we already were . . . Or do you mean that you're finally ready to start telling me about the really bad stuff. I know you're just easing me into it."

Smirking, he said, "And again, I don't have to admit to anything." His voice became more serious as he added, "You were right about Elijah. He didn't kill him."

"So, Klaus is still out there and now he's a hybrid. I guess they're a thing now." Taking a shallow breath, I asked, "If Jenna dying and Klaus being a hybrid are the least bad things that happened, do I want to know the rest?"

I looked back at him, and he looked down before shaking his head. "No, but you need to know . . . and I think maybe you'll hate me when I tell you, but I know it has to come from me." I licked my bottom lip, while I processed that. Whatever he had to say was really bad. Sticking one of his bloodstained hands into his pocket, he pulled out an envelope and took a deep breath before handing it to me and saying, "It's about your Dad."


	43. Time to Face the Music

My entire world had collapsed. Two became none, and I no longer had a purpose, or I didn't at first. I decided to make ruining Klaus's life my purpose. It seemed only fair, since he's the one who took both of my parents from me. I didn't blame Damon even though the reason my Dad had done what he did was to give Elena a chance at life without being a vampire, and she wouldn't have almost become a vampire if not for Damon giving her his blood and locking me away to keep me from getting involved. I didn't blame him, because . . . well, honestly, it's probably because he's all I had left.

I blamed my Dad, because it was his choice to do what he did, and Elena being a vampire wasn't the greatest catastrophe in the world even if it hadn't been her choice. I blamed Elena too. I mean she'd died heroically, and I knew that. How could I not? She'd kind of stolen my thunder on the whole heroic ending thing. I also knew that she hadn't asked for my Dad to do what he did, but it was another instance of someone going out of their way, and in this case dying, to make sure she was happy . . . I may have blamed them, but I didn't blame either of them as much as I blamed Klaus, so he was my target, or he would be as soon as I saw to the burial of my Dad. I didn't get to see my Mom off, so I wanted to get this right.

"Are you ready?"

Glancing at the door, I said, "You're not going to tell me to change?" 

I looked down at my outfit. Black converse, skinny black jeans, black studded leather belt, and a black t-shirt with a skull and crossbones on the front. I heard him laugh. "I don't think they'll appreciate your sense of humor." Stepping closer to put his hands on my shoulders, he added, "Or the fact that with all of them here, and it being the day that it is, you need to feel comfortable more than you need to conform to social norms, but you get to be all Eve, all the time now, right? Wear what you want. You're Dad would've understood." 

Flicking a hand in his direction, I said, "You're wearing a suit."

"Out of respect for you and Elena." Smiling as an idea struck him, he said, "Here," before shrugging the jacket off and saying, "Better?"

Now he was somewhere in between formal and casual with a dressy button up shirt and no suit jacket or tie. I appreciated the compromise and gave him a nod. He turned to the coat hooks on the back of my door saying, "Okay, black hooded sweatshirt . . . black pea coat, or my personal favorite, the black leather jacket." He'd gotten it for me to replace the one that he'd made me burn after the werewolf hunt. It was probably better than my old one had been, but I'd never admit it. 

"We'll go with that one." 

He helped me slip it on and then turned me around to give me a once over before getting that look that said something wasn't quite right. "It's missing something." 

He bit his bottom lip to help sell his performance of faux-concentration, and reached into his pocket, pulled a necklace out and leaned forward, so he could put it on over my head. When he was done, and I looked down at it, I think my heart stopped for a few brief moments. It was my Mom's daylight necklace. Lunging forward, I flung my arms around him and asked, "Do I have to give it back?" 

Holding me close, he exhaled a laugh. "Only if you get caught wearing it."

"You stole it?"

"I don't think she'll notice."

I felt tears sting my eyes and whispered, "Thank you."

Looking behind me, he asked, "Do you need help carrying this stuff?"

Letting him go, I looked back at my bed. "Would you mind? I don't feel like making more than one trip."

He picked up a few of the items and said, "You're sure you want to get rid of all these?"

Most of them were weapons that I'd destroyed trying to get out of the tomb. Some were my Dad's hand me downs. There were only 2 items out of the whole lot that I didn't want to lose, but something like this required sacrifice. "Yeah. I want to do this right."

I picked up the two things that meant the most to me and held onto them, like they were talisman that would give me the strength to do this, and let Damon take the rest. We left out the back door and made our way to the little clearing in the woods that I'd chosen. When I saw them all standing there, I froze. Apparently, Bonnie, Elena, and Jeremy had been there when I came back from the tomb, but I hadn't noticed them, and Damon'd had Stefan send them all away while he told me about my Dad. I think it was for their safety. He really seemed to think that death made me violent. Anyway, I hadn't spoken to any of them yet.

I'd skipped Jenna's funeral this morning, so I could get my Dad's ready. I would've felt strange going to it anyway considering the one and only time I'd met her. It hadn't exactly gone well, and I'd lied to her about intending to meet Elena. Meeting Elena at her funeral seemed kind of wrong. 

From the looks I was getting now, I think maybe Damon was right about them not appreciating my sense of humor. They were all dressed up to the nines, and I certainly wasn't. Then there was Tyler, and I didn't know how much he knew . . . like if he knew I'd killed his uncle and then Jules' pack or that I'd been there the first time he changed . . . Matt . . . yeah, I almost killed him with that potted plant. He didn't look like he liked me much either. I knew they were here for Elena, but it made me feel really out of place at my Dad's funeral. 

Stefan tried to smile sympathetically, while he kept an eye on his girlfriend, and I actually thought that was pretty nice of him all things considered, but it was Caroline that saved the day. After Damon gave me a little shove to get me moving again, Caroline walked away from the others and grabbed me up in a super-tight hug, so she could whisper, "I'm so sorry, Eve . . . You've got this, and if you need me to do anything, I'm here . . . I'm your friend too, okay?" 

I felt tears prick my eyes and nodded. "Despite my best efforts . . . I guess you are, aren't you?"

She laughed before pulling back and giving me a teary-eyed smile. "Yeah . . . I am." Taking my hand, she led me to the pyre I'd built for my Dad, like she wasn't concerned about what the others thought about her being seen with me, and helped me put the weapons on top. She stepped back to be with the others when only the things in my hands were left. One was my little red keyboard that my Dad had gotten me. He was right, I'd managed to save it in the great keyboard purge and took it with me wherever I went. I wondered if he'd seen it in my things and that's how he knew. I wondered how it'd made him feel to know I still had it. I lost a couple of tears that I was really trying hard to keep under control and said, "The last time I saw you, you mentioned this, so I thought maybe you might want to take it with you." I took a slow breath and added, "I'm sorry I yelled at you, but it was a pretty stressful day . . . and you did give Damon permission to do whatever he had to do to keep me out of it. What were you thinking on that one?" 

I looked at the letter he'd written me. It was the last thing I'd ever get from him. It was the last I'd ever know what he was thinking. He didn't think I was weak. He wanted me to know that, and he wanted me to know that he was proud of me. He wanted me to know that he loved me the way I knew he did, and he admitted to having held back his affection more than he should have. Smiling sadly, I said, "I already knew most of this, but thanks for telling me anyway." The only thing I wasn't sure about was him wanting me to get to know my sister and for us to look out for one another. I guess we'd just have to see on that. 

Putting the letter on top, I picked up the torch I'd made and went to light the end with my Zippo, when I heard Elena say, "This is stupid . . . No, Stefan, it's wrong . . . What are we even doing? Why aren't we - "

I turned to look at her, flaming torch in hand, and I hadn't even known that Damon was standing right behind me until he put his hands on my shoulders to turn me back around to face the pyre. Leaning down, he whispered, "Let it go."

In anger, I thrust the torch into the kindling at the bottom of the pyre before stepping away from Damon, so I could do the same thing at various points around it, while saying loud enough for everyone to hear, "So he should be buried in an unmarked grave on the Gilbert plot at the cemetery instead? Either way, he'll only be remembered by the people standing here, and once we're gone, he'll be forgotten . . . And this is what he would've wanted rather than being buried side by side with that bunch of hypocrites for all eternity . . . Oh, John, you're so bad . . . You're the black sheep of the family, because you knocked up your first love in high school, and hey, we'll take your daughter in and love her, like she was our own, but you . . . you are the worst of the worst for creating her . . . don't visit unless you call first, and we'll make sure to treat you like dirt whenever you are here, so she grows up hating you."

When I got to where I started, I threw the torch on top and turned to look at Elena just in time to get a slap across the face. "How dare you talk about my parents?"

My hands clenched into fists, and I heard Damon say, "Eve, don't," while Stefan pulled her away from me.

I looked at Damon in frustration, and tears of anger sprung up into my eyes before I looked back at Elena. "You have ruined my life, and you've been doing it since before we were born. You don't get two sets of parents. You had yours. These are mine, and you're ruining my Dad's funeral . . . so if you don't mind, Your Highness, I'd like to get back to it." 

Turning away from her, I looked at the blaze I'd set and felt crushed that I hadn't been paying attention when I'd set it, because these were supposed to be my last moments with my Dad, and I was missing them. I heard her crying into Stefan's chest that she hated me, and felt like telling her the feeling was mutual, but Damon came up beside me and put his hand on the small of my back, while he leaned down to whisper, "What about your eulogy?"

I'd told him I was doing one, but I hadn't practiced it in front of him. I wanted it to be special and just for the funeral. Sighing, I nodded. I didn't feel like saying it now, but I'd memorized it and everything, so I might as well. If she'd just waited a few more seconds, I could've explained all of this. Feeling deflated, I said it in a monotone to nobody in particular. "He always liked the idea of a Viking funeral . . . the pyre and the smoke sending his spirit on to the afterlife . . . so I'm giving him one . . . and he always liked Walt Whitman. He used to read his poetry to me when nothing else could get a little girl to go to sleep, because she was homesick for her Mom. This is one of the first ones I learned. I guess I always knew what it meant, but I never really felt it until now, and I thought it fit pretty well considering the voyage he's been on for almost 18 years has finally come to an end. It didn't turn out the way it was intended, but I guess he was okay with how it did."

I paused a beat to swallow and then tried to say it with at least the right cadence even though I was sure I made it sound 10x more somber than it already was. 

_'O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,_  
_The ship has weathr'd every rack, the prize we sought is won,_  
_The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,_  
_While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring;_  
_But O heart! heart! heart!_  
_O the bleeding drops of red,_  
_Where on the deck my Captain lies,_  
_Fallen cold and dead._

 _O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;_  
_Rise up- for you the flag is flung - for you the bugle trills,_  
_For you bouquets and ribbon'd wreaths - for you the shores a-crowding,_  
_For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;_  
_Here Captain! dear Father!'"_

I paused to take a shaky breath that hitched in my throat, and focused on my keyboard melting to keep going, 

_"This arm beneath your head!_  
_It is some dream on the deck,_  
_You've fallen cold and dead._

 _My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still,_  
_My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will,_  
_The ship is anchor'd safe and sound, it's voyage closed and done,_  
_From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object won;_  
_Exult O shores, and ring O bells!_  
_But I with mournful tread,_  
_Walk the deck my Captain lies,_  
_Fallen cold and dead."_

I bit the inside of my cheek, and I knew I was about to lose it, but I didn't want to do it in front of anyone. Luckily, Damon slipped his arm behind my back and gently swung me into his chest. Nuzzling into the top of my head, he said, "You did good . . . A lot better than I would've done."

I knew he was supposed to give his Mom's eulogy, but hadn't been able to do it. "Well, I showed up." He exhaled a laugh, and I said, "Maybe I shouldn't have. Maybe I - "

"You have as much right to be here as anyone else . . . More. You didn't do anything wrong."

"Are they gone yet?"

"Almost."

"Most of them left while I was talking, didn't they?"

"Doesn't matter."

"Who's left?"

"Tyler and Caroline."

"Oh no."

I heard Caroline say, "It's okay. He knows it was you that was there the first time he turned, and I explained why, which means I had to tell him why you did what you did to his uncle . . . He was hoping that maybe he could talk to you about it some time."

"If he doesn't mind watching my Dad burn with me, we can talk about it now."

Caroline quickly said, "She doesn't mean for it to sound like that. It's just the way she is with people she doesn't know."

"Or people that know me get used to it." 

I let go of Damon to look up at him, and he rolled his eyes. "I'd say it's a bit of both. You seem to go out of your way to make it worse when you meet someone new." Looking at Tyler he translated for me. "What she means is if you want to talk to her about it now, you'd be helping her take her mind off of all this, but she's not going anywhere until the fire's out." Yeah, that seemed about right. Damon cocked his eyebrow, while he tilted his head towards the house, and I nodded. If he wanted to go, I'd be all right. I think I'd set more than one type of fire, and he felt like he needed to go put the metaphorical one out with Elena. 

As he turned to leave, he threw Caroline a look, and she seemed hesitant to go with him until Tyler also nodded to let her know it was okay if she left. As she walked out of the clearing, she gave him a final look over her shoulder, and then she was gone. The moment she was, Tyler came to stand next to me and silently stared at the dancing flames for a minute. If he wanted to talk, then the floor was his. It wasn't on me to do it . . . or maybe it was? Maybe he hadn't thought I was going to agree to talk to him so soon, so he hadn't planned what he wanted to say. 

Finally, he made his first move by pulling a flask out of the lining of his suit jacket, taking a drink, and then offering it to me. I thought it was quite nice of him, so I took it to be polite and had a swig before handing it back and saying, "You guys sure do drink a lot for teenagers."

He shrugged before having another drink and saying, "It's a small town. There's not much else to do."

I nodded and gave an obligatory, "That makes sense."

Glancing at me, while he worked up his nerve, he waited a beat and then said, "So, I guess this isn't the first time we've met."

My eyes stayed on the pyre, but I relaxed and smiled briefly before saying, "No. I'm the one who crashed your fancy ball."

"Why?"

I was sure Caroline must have told him, but he needed to hear it from me. "I was trying to keep you from triggering the curse."

"Because Mason asked you to help me?"

"Because he asked me to look after you. It's not quite the same thing."

"And that's why you were there the first time I changed?"

I shook my head. "Caroline insisted on being there, and I wanted to make sure she didn't get hurt. If you'd gotten loose, I would've shot you with some wolfsbane darts to knock you out without killing you."

"I thought that stuff was poisonous to us."

"It is. If you get it on you or ingest it, it burns you like acid, but if it's injected, it just knocks you out. It really works the way vervain does on vampires."

"Why did you want me to go with Jules?"

Again, he must've already heard from Caroline why I'd told him about Jules that first time he changed, so I said, "Your uncle told me that if the worst happened, I needed to find you a pack to show you the ropes."

He looked confused and a little angry, while he said, "But then you killed them all."

I rolled my eyes. "To be fair, he didn't tell me to find his pack. He told me to find you a pack, so I'm guessing he didn't want them around you for a reason . . . I know Jules helped you, but they weren't good people, Tyler, and he said you were a good kid."

He shook his head, while looking back at the flames. "He didn't even know me. In my entire life, I've only seen him a handful of times."

"And yet he was willing to die for you." Tyler looked at me, and I said, "That's why he did it as much as it was because he just couldn't live with the curse anymore. He wanted to buy time before Katherine turned her attention onto you."

"You really killed him?"

I nodded. "It's what he wanted. I'm guessing that vampires hunting werewolves almost to extinction isn't the only reason your numbers are so low. It is not an easy life. Not everyone is cut out for it."

"Jules told me he was a free spirit, and free spirits have it the hardest. They aren't as disciplined, and they take the loss of life harder than your average werewolf. She said the changes should be easier for them, because they should be able to roll with them and revel in the freedom of being a wolf, but for some reason they don't."

I didn't know about any of that, but it was good to know that while I didn't like Jules, she had been able to help him even a little. "Maybe it's because they don't need the wolf form to achieve that level of freedom. They're already free when they're humans, and maybe whereas other werewolves can blame the bad things they do on being a wolf, they take the responsibility for it themselves, because they're mentally the same person all the time." He didn't say anything, and we stared at the pyre for a little while. Some of the supports were started to creek and groan under the heat, and I couldn't stand the thought of what was soon to follow. The entire thing would eventually collapse. "So, what kind of werewolf are you?"

It pulled him from whatever he'd been thinking, and he took a deep breath before saying, "I think I take after my Dad more than Mason. I mean, my Dad never triggered the curse, but looking back, I know why he was the way he was now."

"Quick temper?" Tyler nodded. Yeah, I didn't think that probably boded well for his childhood, so I decided to steer clear of it. "Well I think it's pretty admirable that he never triggered it when everything in your guys' make up is designed to make you eventually do just that."

He went quiet again and eventually said, "Sometimes I think he wanted me to trigger it. If I was in a fight, he'd push me to finish it . . . or want to fight me himself."

"Well if he was mayor, he must've been a natural born alpha, so maybe he was putting you in your place, or maybe he pushed you so hard, because it's what'd worked for him. Maybe he thought that you had to get that aggression out somehow rather than letting it build, and a small fight here or there, or even a fight with him was like a release valve that kept that pressure from building, so you didn't explode." 

Watching me, Tyler said, "You didn't know him."

"I'm not saying he wasn't a bully or that he was right, just that maybe he was doing what he thought was best for you . . . I have a soft spot for bad parents and am a champion at making excuses for them. I suppose now might be a good time to apologize for my Dad's role in your Dad's death." 

I gave him a side-glance, unsure of how he'd take that, and he went back to staring at the pyre. "Thanks." I waited, and he added, "I know my friends weren't big fans of him, and most of the time I hated him, but he was still my Dad."

"Well, I never hated my Dad, but no matter how unfair I thought he was being or how angry we were with each other, I knew he loved me. For me, that's all that ever really mattered."


	44. Losing My Humanity

The next morning, I walked out of my room and found my way to my piano room. This was the last place I saw my Dad. It's where I'd played for Rose as she was dying, and yet I felt comfort at being there. Taking a seat at the keys, I pondered what to play and decided on a cover of Dylan's classic, Knockin' on Heaven's Door. Maybe I'd learn to play it on the guitar next. I hadn't picked that up since Rose died. I was halfway through the second verse when I heard a loud thud come from down the hall. 

Even though I immediately got up with the stake taped under the bench in my hand, I heard a second one before I even got to the door. Peeking around the corner when I heard a third, I was a little confused to see Stefan had Damon pinned up against the wall down a the other end of the hall. I couldn't hear what was being said, but it was clear Stefan was mad about something, and then he whisked Damon out of the room and down to the basement, so of course I followed them.

Stopping when I got halfway down the stairs, I waited to hear what was happening before I ran into anything. If it was just a normal spat, they could handle it themselves.

"I've got Bonnie looking for something . . . anything."

What did Stefan need Bonnie to find? Was it something to go after Klaus?

"Always the hero, Stefan . . . Just tell me goodbye and get it over with." 

What the hell was that supposed to mean? I heard Damon cough, and it sounded bad. My feet moved of their own accord. I knew Stefan could see me out of the corner of his eye as I got to the bottom step, but I didn't particularly care. Why was he locking Damon in one of the cells? "Lie still. Conserve your strength." He turned to leave, and I realized that maybe he hadn't known I was there. The look on his face, and his slight jump at the sight of me seemed to suggest he hadn't, because he'd been so focused on his brother. "Eve. "

"What's wrong?"

I went to walk past him, so I could see Damon, and he stuck his arm out to stop me. "Don't let him out."

"Why? What happened?"

Sighing, he looked at the door when Damon yelled, "Don't tell her," before breaking into another coughing fit, and I used the distraction to get past Stefan. 

I couldn't see the bite, but as soon as I saw Damon, I knew. "Only a werewolf bite makes you guys sick like that . . . who - "

Coming back to stand next to me, Stefan said, "He didn't get Tyler and Caroline out of the tomb fast enough the other night. Tyler started changing and bit him."

I watched Damon turn away from the door, so he could avert his eyes. I should be mad that he hadn't told me, but mostly, I . . . I don't know. I'd just lost my Mom and Dad. I couldn't lose him too. I quietly said, "That's why you needed to talk to me that night." He continued refusing to look at me, and my hand went to the lock, but Stefan stopped me from opening it. Looking at him, I asked, "Why are you locking him in here?"

"I caught him standing in the sun without his daylight ring."

"Oh." He'd tried to kill himself, and Stefan didn't trust him not to do it again. I looked at Damon again. "Then lock me in with him."

Stefan said, "Eve," at the same time, Damon yelled, "No!" and I ignored both their warnings. "I don't want him to be alone."

"He could kill you. He wouldn't mean to - "

"Rose bit me. I know what's coming." Holding my stake up for him to see, I added, "You can keep it or let me have it to protect myself and trust that I won't kill him while you try to find a cure . . . it's up to you, but I'm going in there." When he didn't answer, I took it as a sign that I could keep it, turned back to the door, and pulled it open before shutting it behind me. I looked back at him through the bars as he locked it, and almost immediately found myself slammed against the wall next to the door by Damon. I heard the lock slide open and quickly said, "Stefan, no matter what he does, don't."

Squeezing my throat, Damon focused all his attention on me, "I will rip your throat out, Eve." I knew he wouldn't, but I couldn't exactly say that, so I shook my head. I was calm as could be, and he tried again with raw rage, whether it was at me or the fact that he was going to die, it didn't matter, because he channeled it to make himself as threatening as possible. "Stake me the way you always do!" He was losing control, I could see his eyes start to change, and the veins under his eyes made an appearance. "KIll me!" His fangs came out as he lunged for my throat, and I lifted my arm up to drop my stake through the bars. He stopped a couple of centimeters from my neck when he heard it hit the ground outside the cell. "No. No! NO!" 

He let me go. I crumpled to the ground, my lungs trying to gasp as much oxygen into them as possible, and then he was crouching down in front of me and slamming me back against the wall, but this time he had me by the shoulders, and I was on my knees. "Why did you do that? Why?" Tears pooled in his eyes, and it broke my heart. I didn't want him to die, but I didn't want him to suffer either. 

Looking away from him briefly, because I couldn't stand to see the pain in his face, I sighed before looking at him again and saying, "You know how these things go. Opportunities present themselves . . . I saw one I couldn't let pass me by."

His hands fell from my shoulders, and he looked like I'd stabbed him in the gut. "So, you're paying me back for what I did to you." 

In a round about way, I was. He'd saved my life. I wanted to save his, but I couldn't let him believe that this was about revenge, so I lunged forward to wrap my arms around him, and whispered into his ear, "I told you I'd do the same thing if I was in your position. You may hate me for it, but I'm keeping you alive until your brother finds a way to save your life."

Bringing his arms up to encircle me, he buried his face in my neck and took a deep breath. "You need to get out of here. I may not kill you now, but the worse this gets - "

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Eve - "

"Damon, you're all I have."

Holding me a little tighter, he nodded. "I know . . . and I don't want you to be alone. You need someone to rein you in and take care of you."

"No, I don't." 

"Maybe you don't think you do, but it's what I want you to have. You wanted it for me, right? It's why you made that wager with Elijah." Yeah, it was. I hadn't realized he was concerned that I'd go off the rails the way I'd thought he would if I died. I nodded, and he said, "I want you to have a long life . . . I don't want you to keep doing idiotic things that could get you killed, like going off after Klaus by yourself, or locking yourself up with me."

"I wasn't there for my Mom. I wasn't there for my Dad. If your brother can't figure something out, then I will be there for you. Don't ask me not to be, because I won't listen, you'll get mad, and then things will get awkward when you've forgotten who I am and start ranting to me about me, because you think I'm Elena or Katherine." 

He sighed. "You're really gonna make me do this."

I wanted every last second I could get with him. It was selfish and meant making him suffer, but yeah, I wanted that time. "Did you really bury me alive?"

"You say we're even on that, and yet you keep bringing it up."

"Well let's see how you feel about this when it's all over."

"Eve, it won't end well."

"Well, it won't as long as Stefan keeps observing us like a mad scientist watching a couple of lab rats instead of going out there and finding a cure."

He breathed out a shallow laugh before pulling back to look up at the door. "You heard her brother. Get out there and find something to save the day."

Nodding towards me, Stefan asked, "What about her?"

Damon looked at me. "You're seeing this through to the end whatever that is?" I nodded, so he looked up at Stefan and said, "I don't want her locked in here with me . . . If it means she won't be, I give you my word, I won't try anything again . . . but you need to let me out of here, because if I stay, she will too." Stefan rolled his eyes, and Damon said, "She's good at what she does, she'll keep me from doing anything to myself or anyone else, and she'll do it without killing me."

Stefan looked at me, and I shrugged a shoulder. "I've got vervain darts with his name written all over them. I'll take care of him."

Surprisingly, Stefan actually let Damon out, and maybe even more surprising, I didn't need to use my darts on Damon to keep him from trying to make a break for it. He went with me to my room, while I got the weapons I needed and insisted I have at least one gun with wooden bullets before we made our way back to his room. The exertion of walking from one end of the house to the other really seemed to be hitting him hard by the time we got there. Having learned from my mistake with Rose, I'd brought a whole stock of blood bags with me, and once he was settled into his bed, I gave him a bag before settling into the chair by his bed. 

"Eve?"

"Hm?"

"What are you doing?"

"I'm keeping an eye on you."

He smirked. "You look like a prison guard."

I looked down at the gun in my hand. It was resting in my lap, but I had my finger on the trigger. "Am I supposed to be the friendly local vampire hunter right now?"

"No, you're supposed to be my Eve . . . come here."

With a sigh, I got up and went over to flop on the bed next to him. Sitting there, I looked down at him over my right shoulder, pointed the gun in his direction using my left hand, and said, "I have to use my weak hand, and it's still a much worse angle . . . no space to account for my slower reflexes . . . and - "

"Eve."

"Hm?"

"You can't shut it off."

"What?" 

Taking the gun from me, he sighed before looking at me and saying, "You know us vampires talk about flipping that switch, and it is like a button you can push, but humans have one too, don't they? It's been so long since I've been one that I forget. I used to see it all the time in the war . . . After Rose died, you went off and slaughtered a pack of werewolves . . . Your Mom died, and I think you were just waiting for your chance to go after Klaus, so you could have an excuse to shut it off again. I don't know what you're going to do after your Dad and now me . . . I can see you starting to shut it off now. You can't. I won't be here to help you turn it back on . . . And as amazing as I think that girl is - "

"Damon, you just told me not to be her."

"Doesn't mean I don't think she's amazing. She is feral and sexy and - "

"Damon!"

"She is. I think I knew I was in trouble when she helped me with the tomb vampires, but I just couldn't stay away . . . Be glad she's on your side, Elena. I am."

I bit the inside of my cheek and took a deep breath before saying, "I'm Eve."

He looked at me, like he had no idea how I got there. "Eve? What was I talking about?"

"How you don't want me to flip my human switch." 

He looked slightly confused by that, but tried to hide it. "Well, you shouldn't."

Leading him, I said, "Because you won't be here to help me turn it back on?"

"Yeah." Taking a breath, like he was buying himself time to remember what he'd said, he finally landed on it and smiled before looking at me. "I don't want to be the only one who ever knows how amazing you are, and if you shut it off, nobody else will get to know you . . . and my little tiger isn't who I want right now. Who I want is my Evie . . . the one who makes me feel human without even trying."

Giving him the hint of a smile, I said, "Well, you finally got to the point in the end."

His brow furrowed, and he asked, "Can you do that for me?"

Gently taking my gun back from him, I nodded, before putting it under my pillow and scooching down to lie next to him. "Yeah, I can try . . . You know you were pretty spectacular in that cell earlier."

"I'm always spectacular. Why was I this time?"

I looked at him over my shoulder again and wasn't sure if he didn't remember anything that'd happened down there, or did and wanted to know why I thought that. "You're 'roar, I'm scary,' face is pretty good."

"Didn't scare you." He smirked, because he knew full well I hadn't known if he remembered that or not, and he had.

"Nope . . . Has it ever?"

Filtering through his memories of the times he'd attacked me, he shook his head. "No . . . never. I'm a little insulted that the only thing I've seen scare you is a pair of contacts."

Clasping my hands together over my stomach, I said, "Well, if it makes you feel any better, you've seen me at my lowest."

"It doesn't. I was hoping to see you at your best."

"You still could . . . I've got a whole day to impress you."

He laughed briefly before looking at me, and then his smile fell. "Rose told me to save you."

"What?"

"After you two spent all night working on that song, she came back to my room and broke some of my stuff. When I stopped her from breaking more, she started crying and told me that I had to save you . . . that you didn't want to die. You wanted to run and really live, but you wouldn't. Elena wanted to sacrifice herself for her friends, but you were different, because you thought that dying was the only thing that made your life important . . . and she was right . . . How did she know that?"

"I didn't say anything to her about - " 

"It wasn't anything you said. It was the song. What's in the song, Eve? I don't think you've played it since, and I couldn't remember the name of it."

"Suicide."

"Oh."

I laughed at his reaction before saying, "I guess she wasn't wrong . . . I don't know how she managed to get that from the song, but we had a way of communicating with music instead of talking, so she must've picked up on something and thought that's why I identified with it." 

"She really liked you Eve . . . You won her over somehow."

"She was lonely, Damon. She spent 500 years on the run with one person, and he died."

Looking at me with glassy eyes, he said, "Like you."

"I haven't been on the run for 500 years. That's Katherine."

"No, I mean . . . it's like you now. You've been on the run your whole life, and I'm the only one left . . . don't do what she did. Don't throw it away by doing something stupid after I'm gone. You can stay here, and - "

"I have no reason to stay in Mystic Falls if - "

"There's Caroline."

"She has her own life."

"You can win Elena over. If she can think there's something redeemable in me after all the things I've done, then she has to do the same for you. You're her sister."

"We're strangers."

"She and I were strangers once."

He was trying so hard to make sure I wasn't alone. I don't know why in his time of dying he was concerned about me, but he was. Faking a small smile, I countered by saying, "Yeah, well, I'm not a blue-eyed angel of death, so - "

"Eve calls me that."

I shook a shallow breath to keep my voice steady. "Does she?"

His eyes fluttered closed, and he nodded. "Except she calls me _her_ blue-eyed angel of death."

"Yeah?"

He nodded again. "I like it."

"And you like it when she gets mad and says Damon Salvatore?"

The corners of his mouth turned up into a slight smile. "Sometimes I make her mad just so she will." Frowning he added, "She's nothing like Katherine . . . It is not her fault that Katherine protected her and not Jenna . . . Either Katherine likes her or knows that Eve is a valuable asset . . . I didn't mean that Jenna wasn't, but to Katherine - "

He'd slipped into something else entirely. It seemed like a one-sided conversation. In concern, I gave him a light shake. "Damon?"

"They are not working together . . . I know, because Eve's my friend . . . She didn't tell me to come talk to you. I'm the one asking you to apologize . . . You mean the funeral you just ruined?. . . No, you started it, and then you hit her and walked out on the eulogy she gave . . . He's her Dad, and she had every right to do it the way she wanted . . . Because he raised her . . . So what if Isobel did too . . . There's nothing wrong with her . . . Wow. You know, I thought she was the one I was going to have to worry about, but you're not even giving her a chance, Elena." 

He went silent, and I relaxed. I hated this, and why did I get the feeling his attempt at smoothing things over between Elena and I hadn't quite gone to plan? Maybe that's why he was so concerned about it. I didn't want him worrying about me. He had enough on his plate right now. I put the back of my hand on his forehead. He was starting to get hot. Well, he was down for the count now. I had no idea what I'd get when he woke up again, so I pulled my gun out from under the pillow and waited.


	45. Motivated

"My apologies, Miss Katherine." I looked over at Damon. He'd been peacefully asleep for a couple of hours, and I was hoping that'd continue, because if he was sleeping, then he wasn't in pain, and he wasn't losing his mind. He was looking at the bathroom door. Obviously Katherine wasn't there. "Of course." Well, so far his hallucinations of Katherine seemed miles better than Roses had been. He wasn't trying to kill her. That should bode well for me when he snapped out of it. For now, I just had to wait him out. "I shall . . . I would think Stefan should be company enough." I made a face at the tone of his voice and looked at him before putting more space between us. I could wait out just about anything, but I wasn't going to wait out any kind of Damon/Katherine sexy-time hallucination. I opened my mouth to say his name, and then he was looking at the door to the room and saying, "Elena?"

Ew. Tell me he wasn't hallucinating a threesome with Elena and Katherine. Continuing to watch the movie only he could see playing out, his eyes went from the door to me a minute later. I arched an eyebrow. "If you think you're going to involve me in some weird fantasy with Elena and Katherine, think again." 

He squinted and then blinked a couple of times. For a few seconds he looked confused, and then he slowly started to smirk. "What'd you just say?"

"I said. If you think you're going to involve me in some weird fantasy - " 

He tried to laugh, but it turned into a cough, and I grabbed a towel I'd gotten from the bathroom while he was asleep for just this reason to catch the blood for him when it came shooting out of his mouth. I'd learned that from dealing with Rose too. When he was done, I wiped it off his face and threw it on the floor. There was a whole stack of fresh ones on the side table next to us. Groaning, he said, "I need blood."

I had that covered too, so I reached down beside the bed and grabbed one of the blood bags in the cooler before helping him sit. I tore the cap off and handed it to him before sliding an arm behind his back to give him extra support. When he finished the bag, I threw it on the floor too, and he rested his head on my chest. I could tell by the way his muscles were twitching that he was in pain, but he didn't say that. Instead he muttered, "What exactly do you think I was fantasizing?" I giggled, and he said, "That's what I thought . . . Why - "

Mocking him, I said, "Oh, Miss Katherine, let me use my seductive voice on you . . . Oh look there's Elena."

Wrapping his arm around my waist, he drowsily said, "Shut up . . . Bad enough I have to relive it without you making fun of me for it."

"I'm sorry."

He smiled. "I should die more often. It makes you nicer."

"Am I really that bad?"

Tightening his hold on me, he shook his head. "There's nobody else I'd rather have with me right now." 

I started brushing my hand through his hair, and he closed his eyes. "I'm Eve."

He nodded. "I know."

"Then I think we both know that isn't true, but I'll pretend like it is."

"It is true. There's no stress with you, and the calmer I feel, the less it hurts."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"You're already doing it."

"I'm not doing anything except mocking you in your time of dying."

"I'm gonna miss you, Eve."

Nobody'd ever said that to me. My eyes started stinging, and I took a slow breath before saying, "Do you think there's something after?"

"I don't know, but if there is, I know where I'm heading . . . Won't be seeing you there."

"What, like vampire heaven, no humans allowed?"

He softly snorted. "Not exactly . . . I was thinking somewhere a little warmer."

Oh. "Hey, do you think vampire Hell is vampire-hunter Heaven?"

He smiled. "Are you going to be the best little vampire-hunter you can be, so you can go there and see me?" 

I exhaled a short laugh and nestled my face on the top of his head. A few seconds later, I said, "You've done bad things, but you're not bad. If it exists, I don't think you'll be going to Hell, vampire, or otherwise."

He went quiet again, and I thought he was asleep, but a minute later, he said, "You can't love two people at the same time, can you?"

I thought back to what he'd said in his hallucination of Katherine and decided not to tell him that Katherine never loved him. "Not in the same way."

"I thought I did, but I was wrong . . . I'm so sorry . . . Do you forgive me?"

Sorry for what? I found the moments when he lost lucidity the hardest ones to watch. I brought my other arm around him, so I could cradle him closer. "There's nothing to forgive . . . If anyone should be apologizing, it's me."

He looked confused. "For what?"

"For not thinking about what it must've been like for you to be a double agent all this time . . . all the lying you had to do to explain where you were or what you were doing when you were really with me . . . for all the lies you had to tell to explain away something I'd done . . . for not thinking about what the fallout would be like for you once I was gone, because I couldn't see past me being dead. I was selfish. Guess it's only fair that I'll be the one dealing with it now. It is my mess to clean up, not yours . . . I'm sorry for doing that to you."

Curling into me more, he drowsily shook his head. "I don't accept it."

"My apology?"

"Yeah, if I accept it, then it means I think it was all a mistake, and I don't. I wouldn't change a thing, Evie . . . not a single second. And it is my job to clean up your messes . . . You're gonna be screwed without me."

My eyesight went blurry again, and I hugged him to me tighter, while trying to keep my breathing under control. I needed to be strong for him until it was over. I was the one asking for him to be in pain, so I could have more time with him, that's the least I owed him. When I thought I could keep it out of my voice, I eventually nodded and said, "I know."

His mouth opened, like he was going to respond, but then his head snapped in the direction of the door. One second he was with me, and the next he'd bolted upright and was at the door faster than I could've stopped if I'd been expecting it, but once he got there, he doubled over in a coughing fit, so I grabbed a towel on my way to him and helped him sit at the foot of the bed. Putting an arm around him, while I held the towel under his mouth, I waited for the coughing to subside, but it was the worst fit yet. When the coughing stopped, he was left gasping for breath, but his eyes wouldn't leave the door. "There's . . . someone . . . here."

"Like there's really someone here, or you're hallucinating they are?"

He threw a glare at me over his shoulder. "I hear them downstairs."

If this was a ploy for him to take off, I didn't think he'd be able to get very far, but if someone was in the house, then I should see who it was. They were making him agitated, and that wasn't good for his health. I tucked my gun into the back of my waistband and grabbed another bag of blood. After handing it to him, I rested my forehead on his and whispered, "Promise me you'll stay here?"

He nodded, and I turned to leave, but he grabbed my hand to stop me. "There were 4. 2 left."

I gave him a half-hearted smile and said, "Thanks . . . Anything else?"

"They're trying to be quiet, but they're not."

Okay. Maybe there really were people down there. I pulled my gun out of my waistband and held it up, like I wanted to know if he thought it was necessary, and he shrugged. Good enough for me. I held my gun at the ready as I made my way down the hall and glanced back. Damon was still sitting where I'd left him on the end of the bed, sipping on his blood and half in a daze, while he watched me. He should be okay, shouldn't he? He seemed to know what I was thinking, because he rolled his eyes and pointed in the direction I was heading, like I needed to pay attention to what was in front of me, not him. 

That's all I needed to really start focusing on the task at hand. By the time I got to the top of the stairs, I thought I could hear someone down there too. They were trying to be quiet. If they were friends here to check in on Damon, they wouldn't be doing that. It put me on high alert as I descended the stairs. I heard movement come from around the side at the bottom, and stepped back, so I wouldn't be seen when the person passed. I was a little surprised to see a cop walking around down there in much the same kind of manner that I was. Before he saw me, I quickly put my gun into the back of my waistband again, because having a gun pointed at him seemed like a bad idea if I wasn't going to shoot him and didn't want to get shot. 

Bouncing down the stairs the rest of the way, I made a show of being surprised. "Oh . . . gosh, you scared me! What are you doing here?"

He swung to his right towards me, and I put my hands up in the air to show I was unarmed as I reached the bottom step. "You sure are persistent, aren't you? Get down on the ground."

I had no idea what he was talking about. I don't think I was who he thought I was. "Sure, but first I'd like to see your warrant officer. Nobody called from this number. There were no sounds of distress . . . you can't be in here."

"Where are the Salvatores?"

Arms still raised, I turned to my left to look at the woman who'd asked that as she came into the foyer and recognized her immediately. "Sheriff Forbes . . . Pleased to make your acquaintance. I'm friends with your daughter. My name is - "

Her eyes widened in recognition as she whispered, "Katherine."

And I knew in that moment that I was screwed, because she'd never taken her gun off of me, and that bought me absolutely no time. She pulled the trigger before I could say I wasn't Katherine or move or do anything other than realize that she was going to do what she did a millisecond before she did it . . . and then a freight train came barreling into me from the side, and I landed on the floor under it . . . and by freight train, I mean Damon, so he was in about the worst position a sick vampire could be, and that's all I was thinking as I wrapped my legs around him and flipped him onto his back, so I could take the dart the deputy shot instead. Using my authoritative voice, I quickly said, "Damon, throw me at one and run," and then braced myself as he did exactly what I said and sent me flying off of him in the direction of the sheriff. By the time both of us landed hard on the ground, he was gone. I knew I was going to have to go find him, but first I had to do something about these two. I sprung to my feet, and the sheriff was going to be down for at least another 30 seconds, so I turned to look at the deputy, and promptly got shot, but not by a dart. 

"Fuck!" I looked down at my shoulder and then up at him as I pulled the dart out of my thigh and said, "This is exactly why amateurs should leave vampire hunting to the professionals. Do you see this? You shot me up with enough vervain to take down a fucking vampire elephant, but did I go down? No. I'm not a fucking vampire. I'm Eve Gilbert, and the two of you are trespassing. Unless I see a warrant for you to search this house, I want you to get the fuck out." As the sheriff got to her feet, it didn't seem like either of them were really taking me seriously, so I said, "That's it. I'm calling my lawyer, and you can explain all of this and why I have a fucking wooden bullet in my shoulder," while I reached for my phone and pressed Caroline's number. She needed to come here and get control of her Mom. 

The sheriff started slowly walking closer to me with her arm outstretched, like she didn't want me to do anything rash and said, "Hang up the phone."

"You mean the only thing keeping me safe from the homicidal cops in this town . . . I don't think so." 

"You are in big trouble right now. There's no need to make this any worse - "

"No, you're in big trouble." She tried to take the phone from me, and I left the call connected and tossed it into some potted plants on the other side of the room as the deputy grabbed me from behind. I brought my feet up to kick the Sheriff full force in the chest, and she went down again. It put the deputy off-kilter, so the second my feet hit the ground, I put all my strength into pushing back, and he slammed into a wall. For a fraction of a second, he loosened his grip, and I used it to elbow him in the side as hard as I could. I heard something pop, and he let out a loud grunt, as I slipped out of his arms, side-stepped, and kicked him as hard as I could in the back of the knee to drop him. My hands automatically went around his head, the way they would if he was a vampire and I was going to break his neck, but I remembered he wasn't a vampire at the last second and just slammed his head into the side of the wall extremely hard, twice. He was done. 

My head snapped in the direction of the sheriff, and she had her gun trained on me again. Maybe it was the efficiency I'd used in dealing with her deputy, but she was eyeing the blood leaking out of my shoulder when she asked, "What are you?"

"Just a girl that's having a very bad day . . . Let the assault on two police officers go, and I won't make a big deal out of being shot for no reason in my sister's legally owned home and without you two having any legal reason to be here " Walking towards the front door, I added, "I have a no killing humans policy, but go near Damon again tonight, and I will kill you."

I spent the rest of the night searching the town, and as the adrenaline wore off, the pain in my shoulder got worse, but I ignored it. If this was the last night I was ever going to have with Damon, then I needed to find him. I couldn't help the tears that fell as my urgency grew. I'd promised him that I'd be there till the end. He'd trusted me, and I was letting him down. Not only that, but I hadn't been there for Mom and Dad. I'd meant it when I'd said that I wanted to be with him until it was over. I needed those moments. I wanted every last one. 

"Well, look at what we have here." I groggily opened my eyes at the sound of a familiar voice and immediately felt the uncomfortableness of my situation. I appeared to be laying on stone steps, one of which was digging into my ribs, and I was outside, which made me feel ice cold.

"Where am I?"

"So close to the finish line, and yet so far from the looks of it."

"Are you going to help me or not, Aunt Kat?"

"I'm not so sure that I would be helping you out in the long run if I did in fact help you now. I admire your resilience, and the fastest way to make someone prone to giving up is if you start doing things for them. " 

Crouching down next to me, she gently pulled my hair out of my face, and I sighed. "That actually makes sense."

She gave me a genuine smile. "I thought you'd understand. You always have." Reaching into her pocket, she said, "And here's what I'll do for you . . . I'll give you the motivation you need to get moving again." She put something solid in my hand before explaining what it was. "This is the cure for that werewolf bite . . . Damon's in there. I can hear him . . . why don't you take it to him?"

Opening my eyes a little wider, so they'd focus on the glass vial, I whispered, "You came through?"

"Yes and no . . . Klaus finally let me go, and I didn't have to bring it, but it was Stefan that made this possible. He sacrificed himself to Klaus to get it."

My eyes narrowed in confusion. "He's dead?"

"Worse . . . He's Klaus's new right hand man. All he had to do was make some major adjustments."

"Compulsion?"

"No, he had to give into the purest form of his nature . . . the ripper, I'm sure you've heard about by now."

I rolled my eyes as I forced myself onto my hands and knees. "I could see why evil incarnate would want that guy on his side . . . not a fan."

Following beside me, she said, "Believe it or not, neither am I. He's way too cocky for his own good." 

I got to the door and reached up to force the handle to turn before asking, "So, are you just going to follow me the entire way?"

"Well, somebody has to make sure I get credit for the save, and I find watching you struggle immensely amusing. Get it to the top of the stairs, and I'll take it from there."

I didn't hate her for it. I actually appreciated the nudge she gave me. I'd needed it, and tough love wasn't such a bad thing if the results were good, so I pushed myself, foot by foot, and then inch by inch the closer to the top that I got, and when I got there, I collapsed. She reached down to grab the vial from me and gave me a little pat on the head. "Don't worry, Dear Niece. You keep going, and I'll clear the room for you, so you can have him all to yourself."

I belly crawled the rest of the way, and was to the door when she rushed past me. On her way out, she dropped something, and I reached for it. It was a little ball of paper. Resting my head on the ground in the doorway, I ignored Elena awkwardly grabbing her coat to make a hasty retreat and un-crumpled what Katherine had left for me. It was a picture of the three of us, my Mom, Katherine, and I on my 16th birthday. I couldn't believe she had this. I had no pictures of my Mom, and there were no pictures of me, or I hadn't thought there were. My Mom had always been cautious about leaving any record of us behind, and the fact that Katherine had this . . . She'd come straight here after she'd left Klaus, so she'd had it on her when she was taken. Did that mean she'd kept it on her always? I was still 100% sure she'd call in a favor for her role in keeping Klaus from being able to use me in his ritual, but maybe there was more behind her actions than just that. 

It wouldn't change our relationship. That would always be what it was, comfortable companionship without any trust, but seeing the picture made me think, and it turned everything else into background noise, like I was aware of Elena gasping when she saw me, and Damon getting off the bed to come and see what was wrong with her before he saw me and came to pick me up and take me to his bed, but I didn't particularly pay attention to any of that. I just focused on the proof I had in my hand that even though she was as rotten as could be, there was a part of her that was at least sentimental enough to hold onto something like this . . . well, that and I'm sure the blood loss didn't help. I was pretty gone by then.


	46. What To Do About Eve

"Is now a bad time?" My eyes refused to open. I think I knew that voice, but I wasn't sure. "We need to talk."

If I didn't know about that voice, the next one I definitely knew, and it came from much closer. "Eve, will you be okay if I leave you?" _No. Don't die._ I frowned when the warmth surrounding me started to pull away, and Damon must've taken note of it, because he stopped moving and responded, "I promise this won't take long. I'll be right back." 

Well, if he was going to come back, then I guess it was okay. I weakly nodded, and the other voice said, "Actually, this involves her too," but Damon had already gotten up and was ushering whoever it was out of the room, while saying, "Not today, Liz. I can answer any questions you have."

I don't know how long he was gone. I only knew when he came back, because I was jostled around, while he took his place back. My eyes opened into thin slits, and then closed, but I saw enough to know I was in his bed. His arm was under my head, and it would appear he was my body pillow, which would explain why I wasn't quite as comfortable when he was gone. "Well, it sounds like somebody was a very bad girl last night."

Nestling into his side, I muttered, "Was it the Sheriff?"

He breathed out a laugh before brushing my hair back over my shoulder. "You put one of her deputies in the hospital."

Oh, that? "He shot me."

"I know. We're waiting until the vervain is out of his system, and then I'm going to compel him to forget he knows anything about vampires."

"Good. He was a complete hack."

"Exactly, which is why I convinced her that she needed the real deal on her side . . . You're now the youngest member on the Founders Council."

I looked up at him and squinted in confusion. "Why would she listen to you? I thought she wanted you dead."

"She had a change of heart." His hand stroked my shoulder. It felt soothing. I closed my eyes again, and he asked, "Did you really tell her that if she went after me again, you'd kill her?"

Relaxing, I tiredly hummed in the affirmative. "Hm . . . Didn't want her stealing any of the time I had left with you."

"She didn't listen."

"Was she here to get her affairs in order?"

He chuckled quietly before resting his chin on the top of my head. "She's my friend. You're not going to kill her . . . She was here because Caroline assured her that you are human. She wanted to apologize and inform you, as part of the Gilbert family, that she accidentally killed Jeremy last night after her run in with you."

My eyes groggily opened, while I processed that. Elena was going to be devastated. He's all she had left. "Small-town amateurs . . . I told them -"

Quietly shushing me, he said, "He's not dead anymore." My brow furrowed with the unasked question of, 'How,' and Damon answered, "Bonnie."

The idea of witchcraft being involved conjured up all kinds of nasty images. "Oh, that sounds bad . . . is he a revenant, or - "

Silently snorting, Damon answered, "No, you don't have a new supernatural being to hunt." I slumped, and he laughed a little louder. "By all accounts he's fine."

"But we should keep an eye on him."

"Wanting to hunt your cousin is not the part of the story I thought you'd get hung up on."

Snuggling into him with a sigh that gave away exactly how tired I was, I asked, "What was?"

"You're on the Founder's Council. It's a pretty big deal."

"For someone that's not planning on sticking around here long?"

Tensing, he asked, "Where else are you going to go?"

"Big game hunting."

"You're not going after Klaus."

"We'll see."

"She's giving you your Dad's spot."

"Why would she - "

"Because Caroline told her what you did for her with those werewolves, and I filled her in on the rest of your credentials."

"I don't think I'm cut out for - "

"It was either this or jail."

I opened my eyes and lifted my head to frown at him. "You're making that up. You said she was here to apologize."

His eyebrows rose as he said, "Yeah, and then Caroline said there's no way you'd be on the Council, so I said you would if you were properly motivated." He only wanted me on it, because he thought the Founders Council was boring, and he didn't want to go to their meetings alone. I was too tired to fight. Rolling my eyes, I rested my head back down on his shoulder, and he added, "And you're going to school in the fall."

"I am not."

"That was Caroline's idea. Take it up with her."

"Damon, there are no records of me anywhere. I'll have to start in kindergarten."

Stroking my shoulder again to relax me he said, "Liz said she'd take care of it."

"So, was this like a 'What do we do about Eve?' meeting between the three of you?"

"It kind of turned into one."

My eyes fluttered closed, and I whispered, "Why wasn't I there?"

Nestling his face in the top of my hair, he answered, "Because you need your rest . . . You almost died. You should have. I didn't know if my blood would work because of the bite, or if it'd make things worse, and I have no idea how you got up here in the state you were in."

"Katherine motivated me."

"The picture you were holding?"

I shook my head. "She gave me the cure . . . told me to bring it to you."

"Why would she - "

"Tough love. She doesn't want to make me weak by making me too reliant on other people for help, but she gave me the motivation to start moving again. I was passed out on the steps outside when she found me."

"All she did was make sure you got to me, so I could help you."

"But I didn't go looking for you with the intention of having you help me. I went looking for you to help you."

"I don't understand you two."

"Neither do I."

"You still can't trust her."

"I don't . . . I can respect her and appreciate certain qualities she has without trusting her, and I think maybe it's the same with her and me."


	47. A New Cause

I finished packing my last suitcase, and the door to my room burst open. "How far do you think you're going to get without this?"

My eyes widened as I looked over my shoulder to see Damon standing there holding a carburetor in his hand. I could see that it was mine, and I could also see that he'd just ripped it right out. "Why would you - "

"You haven't given me a chance to talk you out of it."

Grabbing my spritz bottle of vervain, I squirted it at him and yelled, "I have! You just failed to convince me," before chasing him around my room as he took off. "My Dad and I rebuilt that car together, and now you've - "

Tossing the engine part on my bed, he slammed me up against the door and knocked the vervain bottle out of my hand. Knowing what I was going to do before I did it, he yelled, "Eve, don't you dare - " Catching my hand with the stake in it, he pinned it above my head, and tried again. "Eve - " I grabbed a spare stake with my left hand and stabbed him in the side with it, making him briefly hiss in pain and then both my hands were pinned in one of his, while he ripped the stake out. "You're being unreasonable."

"No, I'm just not doing what you want."

"Do you even know what you're doing?"

"For starters, I'm killing you for ruining my car!"

"And your'e doing a spectacular job of - " I brought my knee up hard in between his legs, and he let me go, while he doubled over in pain. Vampire or not, that always worked, but his recovery time was almost nonexistent, because I didn't get more than a few steps away from him to grab another weapon before he had me tackled to the floor. "You're not going!"

"You can't stop me."

"You don't even know where they are!"

Looking up at him, I coldly responded, "And that is why I'm going to go find them."

"To do what?"

"To systematically ruin his life . . . I'll know what matters to him when I see it, and then I'll destroy it."

"You're not going anywhere near Klaus."

"Well, I'm not staying here in this horrible little town. Nobody even wants me here, so - "

Losing his cool, he bellowed, "I want you here!" and then completely deflated. "Is that not enough?" 

I turned my head away from him and muttered, "Don't look at me like that," but there was no anger or annoyance behind it.

"LIke what?" I didn't say anything, and he took a chance at resting his forehead on my temple. "Like what?"

"All vulnerable . . . It makes me feel weird. I don't like it." He was supposed to rage out, not look like that. 

"I think that feeling is guilt, and it falls somewhere between nothing and wallowing in self-hatred."

I sighed. "Well, now I know who to blame for Rose thinking I was incapable of understanding feelings."

Ignoring me he said, "Eve, stay. I promise I will fix your car, and we'll find them together."

"And destroy Klaus's life together?"

He exhaled a short laugh. "We'll get my brother back together, and then we'll figure out the rest."

"Why does it sound like you'll be getting what you want, and I won't?"

"Well, if we get Stefan back, then he might know Klaus's weaknesses."

I rolled my eyes. "Good point, but something tells me that you're not going to let me use whatever information he has."

"Not alone."

"You don't have any faith - "

"I have all the faith in you."

"Then why - "

"Because you're not above initiating mutually assured destruction if it means taking out your adversary."

"Well, obviously, that wouldn't be my first choice."

His eyebrows arched in mock surprise. "Since when?"

I turned my head to meet his forehead with mine and briefly smiled. "Well, if I die too soon, it kind of ruins my plan to strip him of everything that's important to him." 

I shouldn't have turned my head to look at him. The energy in the room had shifted, and it was enough of a change that by that point even I noticed it. Taking a shallow breath, he said something to distract from it, but the softness of his voice didn't really help the situation at all. "If it's because you have a new cause, I'll take it."

The last time he kissed me, he drugged me, and I wouldn't put it past him to do it this time either given the circumstances, so why the hell did I want him to do it again? The thought that he might close the inch or two between us sent an icy chill through my chest that reminded me of the thrill I got when I was about to do something dangerous. It was quickly dulled by panic, and I mostly wished I was a vampire, so I could run out of the room and as far away from him as inhumanly possible, because I was sure it'd ruin everything. I tried to think of what to say to make him back off. "Well, I have to have something . . . I spent years - "

"I know. And I'm still not sorry I saved your life."

"Yeah, well, I feel a little like I got a metaphorical death in that stupid tomb, because my old life ended while I was in there, and now, I'm living an afterlife where there is nothing to do. I don't have to hide from anyone. I don't have anything to fight." 

I felt the tension recede while I was talking, and then he responded, "Give it some time. It's only been a week." It'd been 8 days since my Dad's funeral and a week since Damon almost died and his brother took off with Klaus. 

"I feel on edge. I have to get out and do something, or I think I'm going to lose it."

"That, I can relate to." Lifting his head, so he could look down at me, Damon said, "We never had a chance to play our good vampire, bad hunter game . . . Are you up for it?" I gave him a soft smile, and his eyes gleamed jokingly. "Of course it means that you'd be agreeing to stay."

"For one night?"

"For tonight and every night that follows . . . when we get tired of that game, we'll invent more. I promise you, we will not get bored."

What was I supposed to say to that? He was being needy, and he'd only get worse the more I gave into him. It was like a constant game of tug of war with him trying to draw me nearer, and me pulling away, only to have him be the stronger of the two and reel me in that little bit more. That anyone was willing to put up with that, because they saw merit in doing so, meant something quite powerful to me even if I'd never admit it. 

Rolling my eyes, I quietly conceded. "If it means that much to you."

He stayed true to his word. By day, we searched for clues on where Klaus and Stefan had gone, and by night, we went out and had fun. That first night, the only two rules were that he had to tell me his targets, and he couldn't use his vampire speed to outrun me. It was as much fun as I thought it was going to be, but then afterwards, he said I couldn't inject people with vervain anymore. I said it was in keeping with me being the 'bad guy'. He said jabbing people with needles wasn't the lightest shade of gray that I could go, nor was it particularly subtle even though not a single one of them had caught me in the act. 

The next night when we played, I had to find ways to dose his charity cases with vervain without them knowing, and it made it much harder. Eventually, I got better at it over time, and then we had to switch the rules, so that he didn't have to tell me his 'picks of the night anymore. Even though I'd noticed there were patterns to his 'type', like the prettiest girls in the bar, I was pretty terrible at it, because he kept throwing me curve balls. It took a while, but I got better by relying on a combination of cues, like his body language and mood. If nothing else, it taught us how to read one another, so in the future, we'd be able to keep each other in check.


End file.
